


A New Dawn

by imagine0314



Series: Sobeck Women [4]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bisexuality, F/F, Family Feels, Flash Forward, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Psychological Trauma, Sequel, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagine0314/pseuds/imagine0314
Summary: Epilogue toOf Mother and Machine."I would have wanted her to be curious. And willful--unstoppable, even. But with enough compassion to heal the world...just a little bit..."Aloy held Talanah's hand as she nervously waited for GAIA's confirmation, thinking back to the old recording.She hoped their daughter would bejustlike that."GAIA is it--did it work?"She could hear the warmth in her mechanical mother's voice. "Yes, child. It did."
Relationships: Aloy & Elisabet Sobeck, Aloy/Talanah Khane Padish, Elisabet Sobeck & Petra Forgewoman, GAIA & Elisabet Sobeck
Series: Sobeck Women [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489685
Comments: 159
Kudos: 178





	1. All-Mother's Blessing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is your reward ya'll: fluff and feels. We earned this.

**OCTOBER**

Early morning sun creeped through the slatted shutters of their home, casting a warm pink glow on her wife's skin, and like she had nearly every day for the last decade, Talanah was left awestruck at her luck—that she had the chance to spend her life with someone so strong and beautiful.

Talanah breathed in the scent of her slowly, glad they were finally home after months away. A heavy, sleep-laden sigh escaped the other woman, causing a small smile to cross the Sun-Hawk's face, feeling the soft movement of her body breathing against her own. She let her fingers trace gently down the line of Aloy's sternum, down along her middle, still fairly toned, until she reached the low of her belly. She pressed her palm firmly against the slight swell she found there, kissing Aloy's freckled shoulder before slipping quietly out of their shared bed. There was no need to wake her, not just yet.

The Sun-Hawk grabbed a loose shirt from the floor and slipped it on before standing up slowly. She winced just a touch; putting weight on her leg first thing in the morning was always the most painful part of the day. It often took an hour before the muscle fully loosened, a reminder of her far more violent and dangerous youth. She ran her fingertips along her thigh, the scar thick--it had left a noticeable dip along its path and suddenly she shuddered at the thought of palace healers cutting out dead and infected tissue, and the fevered haze that had ensued.

Talanah shook off the memory and hobbled into the hallway, her steps becoming smoother and smoother as she kept moving the stiff limb. She padded softly into the kitchen, glad now that she'd requested for a younger member of the Lodge to leave a basket of items at the door in anticipation of their arrival the night before--their house had been unoccupied for the last four or so months and she was so tired from the journey that she couldn't imagine going to the market just yet.

Talanah reached for some ginger root and tea leaves, setting a kettle to heat over the small electric burner; theirs was one of the first homes in the Sundom to have limited electricity thanks to the strides made by Aloy's mother and her students at the academy. As the water heated, she grabbed for a loaf of bread and some fruit, slicing a small portion of each--knowing it was debatable whether or not Aloy would even take the offering or be able to keep it down. Luckily, she hadn't been _too_ sick--the Nora healers had assured her that her experience was quite mild. Still, while most days had been good, the motion of the striders on their ride home had had her wife looking a sickly shade of green before heaving repeatedly. It had forced them to go slow, alternating riding and walking, and the journey back had been longer than either had hoped. Still, Talanah thought, they were _home_ and she'd never been happier to return to the embrace of the desert.

The kettle whistled and she promptly took it off the heat, pouring it over the tea sachet she'd assembled and tossing some honey in for good measure. When it was finished steeping she took the mug and plate of food and walked back toward their bedroom, setting it on a side table before slipping back into bed briefly to kiss the side of Aloy's head.

"Hey, little Thrush," Talanah said.

Aloy groaned and blinked heavily. "Do I still count as little anything at twenty-nine?" she asked playfully, voice still thick with sleep.

"To me? Always," Talanah replied, kissing her once more. "I brought you some tea and a little food. Didn't know how you'd feel this morning."

"Please tell me it's ginger."

"Of course, I'm taking my duties as your _doting mate_ very seriously," Talanah teased, handing over the mug. Aloy sat up and took it gratefully, taking small sips. Talanah offered the plate of simple bread and fruit but Aloy gently pushed it back. "That bad?"

"I'll feel better once I get this tea down, just give me a bit," the redhead insisted.

"All right," Talanah said, squeezing her hand before getting up and beginning to get dressed. "Our only plan for today is to see your mother and Petra, right?"

Aloy took another gulp of tea, vitality slowly returning to her face. "Unless you want to go check on the Lodge and see if it's burned down without you."

"Hey, a good leader understands delegation and I trust my people," Talanah laughed, slipping on a teal tunic and some leggings. "But I'll think about it. You nervous to see them?"

"Nervous would be an understatement," Aloy said, drinking more tea and finally getting the motivation to begin picking at a slice of bread. "Goddess, I'm terrified."

Talanah walked over to the redhead, gently carding through fiery hair, letting her fingers run over Aloy's braids. She found herself admiring her wife's beads, the one that commemorated their marriage had always caught her eye--Carja red with a stripe of gold through it. Now, however, she idly played with the newest addition--a white one with a thin vibrant blue stripe running through the middle. "By the Sun, I'm scared too...but I almost can't wait to see the looks on their faces."

Aloy smirked and finished her tea.

She was certain today would be unforgettable.

\------

Aloy and Talanah left their home on the furthest outskirts of Meridian Village. The redhead liked having some distance between themselves and the bustle and press of bodies. Though she'd grown more used to large crowds over the years, she still found it unsettling not to have her own quiet retreat--somewhere she could be alone. Childhood as an outcast had left its mark.

Aloy wore a fitted blue Carja silk top, the press of her belly _just_ visible against the fabric. She quickly threw on a looser outer tunic--she knew in a few months it would be undeniable, but for now this was hers. A secret only she and her wife and those they loved got to keep. They took their time walking through the village markets on their way toward the Great Elevator. There were more animals than she'd ever seen--evidence that ARTEMIS' work was going well; progress would be slow and subtle, but GAIA herself had promised horses within the next decade, never having forgotten Aloy’s desire to see one in her lifetime. As they got closer, Aloy's palms became clammy, every nerve frayed and electric. She grabbed for Talanah's hand, holding it tightly as they boarded the car. The gilded cage rose to the top of the mesa and the redhead swallowed thickly, fighting back a wave of nausea over the movement. She breathed deep and exited, suppressing the feeling until her stomach settled.

Talanah noticed and pulled her close, pausing for a moment just before the walkway that would lead them into the city center. "It's okay," she insisted. "Take a moment."

"You know, I used to be this _great, unstoppable_ huntress, by all accounts," Aloy joked sarcastically. "There were legends, once upon a time. Now look at me--so weak. Defeated by something smaller than my fist."

"You're the strongest warrior I know," Talanah promised her.

"Not right now," Aloy said ruefully, looking down.

" _Especially_ right now," the Sun-Hawk said, kissing her forehead. "This is the hardest thing you've ever done."

"I don't know--I kind of died once or twice--or came close."

"Life's harder than death," Talanah said, shrugging with authority. "You know that."

Aloy smirked and kissed her. "I know that."

Once they'd regained their bearings, the two made their way to the familiar apartment door, knocking. They waited a moment, the sound of footsteps down the stairs thudding. The door opened and a beaming Oseram face greeted them: "Fire and spit, I've missed you two." Petra smiled, creases at her eyes forming, tucking her salt and pepper hair behind her ear. She stepped out and wrapped them both in a well muscled hug.

"By the Sun, we missed you too, Petra," Talanah said.

"Well come in," Petra insisted. "Lis is tinkering on something, of course."

They entered what had previously been Aloy's old apartment. Elisabet was huddled over some components on the floor, wiring spliced around her. She took one look up as she heard them walk in. "Kiddo!" she said excitedly, getting up on her feet. She opened her arms and pulled Aloy in for a tight hug before urging for Talanah and doing the same. "It is so good to see you guys."

"It's good to see you too," Talanah said, a smile crossing her face.

"Come on, settle in--we've got so much to catch up on. That was a hell of a trip. Four-something months, you guys. The Nora had better be pleased with whatever new deal they're working out with the Sundom for that kind of time. Honestly, Aloy, I'm surprised you'd go to to the Sacred Land that long. I know things are a lot better between you and them these days, but still."

"Guess I surprised myself," Aloy shrugged, trying to avoid the topic for the moment. "So how have you two been? How's the academy?"

"Oh, you know, busy," Elisabet began, the two younger women listening to the redhead describe the goings on of the city and its popular school. Petra made tea for the group, the four seated in the living room of the apartment excitedly talking about the last several months. The academy was doing extremely well, with more and more non-Sundom residents enrolling each day. In addition to one hundred Carja and dozens of Oseram, the school had its fair share of Banuk, a few Nora, and even a Tenakth student. More and more homes were receiving electricity due to the work of Elisabet's teaching at the academy, and the program she had initiated with GAIA as a miniature replacement of APOLLO had quickly become a resounding success. These days, Elisabet not only had the help of dozens of recovered Focuses to assist her but she also had Petra at her side to instruct all things engineering. Even a few of her earliest graduates had now returned to teach. The academy had attracted students from all over, bringing even greater trade and commerce to the city. The Sun-King himself was thrilled, making any resource Elisabet needed available.

"So tell me about your trip," Elisabet said, taking a final sip of her tea. "I feel like I've been doing all the talking and I want to hear how it went." The older redhead could sense some hesitation. It hadn't been unusual for the two younger women to venture back to Nora lands--after all, Aloy had become the de facto ambassador between the two tribes and an annual trip had been the standard for years now. The two were typically gone for about a month, and this latest outing had been so much longer than all the others. Elisabet had started to worry, but every time she'd called her daughter on her Focus, Aloy had assured her things were going well. "What were you two even negotiating?"

Talanah fidgeted uncomfortably, her eyes darting to Aloy for a cue. The redhead nodded. "Actually, uh, we brought a little something back with us," the Sun-Hawk said.

Aloy rummaged through a pouch, producing a white bead with two thin stripes of blue through the middle and placed it in Elisabet's hand. "Ah, a new one!" she said, taking it thoughtfully. Over the years she had kept the braids her daughter had given her, adding beads here and there as life events called for--she even had one to denote Talanah as part of the family after the the two had married in a small Carja ceremony five years prior. This one was unlike any of the red and blue she and Aloy shared; she knew every bead in Nora hairstyles had a connotation. "What does it mean?" she asked.

Aloy leaned forward and began to tie it into one of Elisabet's braids. The older woman had kept her hair shoulder length, most of it loose except for the braids that ran along the sides of her head, though she had never adopted the full braided look her daughter always sported. Aloy threaded the bead through Elisabet's evenly mixed red and silver hair. When she finished, she showed Elisabet her own, flashing a white bead with a single line through the center.

"Wait, I'm not getting it," Elisabet said, frowning. "We usually match, but mine has two stripes? Aloy, what's going on? I can tell when something's wrong. Out with it, kiddo."

"Oh there’s nothing wrong," Talanah said, her face beaming despite her efforts to remain calm.

"Flame-Hair, you're going to send your mother and I both to an early grave if you don't just say whatever it is. We're both smart enough to know this trip took much longer than usual and we've been waiting months for you both to come clean. The Aloy I know has never been hesitant about anything. Speak up, girl.”

The younger woman took Elisabet's hands in her own, looking up at her earnestly. She bit her lip hard before opening her mouth to speak. "In Nora culture, white beads with stripes represent generations in a family."

Elisabet looked up at her, realization slowly brightening her eyes. "So you're one stripe, and...oh my _god._ Oh my _god!_ "

"You're...going to be a _grandmother,_ " Aloy finally said, body tensed for a reaction.

"Oh my _god,_ " Elisabet exclaimed once again, an electric feeling running through her. She hugged Aloy so tightly they could both barely breathe. "Baby girl...I--" the older woman began, but she was soon a mess of tears, refusing to let Aloy go.

Talanah leaned forward, taking Petra's hand in her own. "We consider you a grandmother too, Petra. ...If you want the title, that is," the Sun-Hawk assured. Petra's eyes instantly glassed and went red, her brows knitting as Talanah pulled her in for a hug.

"Steel to my bones, of _course_ I want it," Petra cried.

After several minutes Elisabet finally let Aloy go, reaching for Talanah as well before wiping at her eyes. "How far?"

Aloy shrugged off her loose outer tunic, revealing the fitted blue Carja silk top beneath, her belly straining the fabric ever so slightly. "Thirteen weeks," she answered sheepishly, still unused to showing off this new, more vulnerable part of herself.

"So that's why you were gone so long," Elisabet said, eyes wide. "But...why the Sacred Land? Was there someone there you wanted to...well, you know--have _help?_ " she asked, trying to be gentle in her implication. After all, it wasn't like this world had the options hers had.

"The baby's _ours,_ " Talanah said, anticipating the question. " _Both_ of ours."

A look of understanding dawned on Elisabet's face. "You went there for the Cradle, didn't you?"

Talanah nodded.

"GAIA, get your holographic ass out here!"

The AI appeared before them, a shared projection between their Focuses. "You called, Elisabet?" she asked, a smirk plastered on her translucent face.

"I'm guessing this is your doing?"

"Are you displeased?" the AI countered.

"No," Elisabet began. "But...why didn't you tell me?"

GAIA appeared to sit by Aloy's side, her arm wrapped around the younger woman's shoulder. "Aloy and Talanah wanted my assistance, and I would not deny our daughter anything within my abilities. They asked for my discretion because they did not want to disappoint you or Petra if the procedure did not take."

Aloy bowed her head. "Are you angry?"

"Of course not," Elisabet said, tilting Aloy's chin up. "Of _course_ not. But you know you could _never_ disappoint either of us, right?"

Aloy swallowed, wiping at her eyes. "I just...I didn't want to tell you until we were sure. That's why we stayed so long. In case, well, in case we..." but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Talanah took her hand. "In case we lost her," she finished. "GAIA told us it would be better to be close by early on...if we had to try again. Thank the Sun we didn't have to."

"Her?" Petra asked. "How could you know that?"

"Simple biology," GAIA answered. "With only two sets of double-x chromosomes--" but Petra's face belied her confusion, the particulars of DNA combination and medical science still a long way from that of the Old Ones. The AI paused, "With only two women, there was no other possibility," she said, making the explanation simpler.

Petra nodded her understanding, a smile still plastered on her face at the wonderment of it all. "I have two mothers and so will our daughter," Aloy said softly. "I didn't want to do this any other way."

"Hey," Elisabet said taking her hand again. She rubbed circles with her thumb, "I understand. Completely."

Aloy breathed a sigh of relief, the nervous feeling in her stomach finally settling, a small tentative smile spreading on her face. Something began to bloom in her chest, a recognition that this was it:

She'd told her mother she was _having a baby_ with the woman she loved, and suddenly it was all the more real.

\------

The group eventually moved from their places in the living room, Petra offering the two younger women food around midday, which Aloy readily took, much to her own surprise. Talanah bent over her form, kissing the top of her head. "How about I give you a little bit with them?" she offered. "I could go check in with the Lodge. At this rate, they'll think I've abandoned my post," she joked. "But only if you're okay with it."

"I'm sure I can manage," Aloy said around a mouthful of spiced Carja meat. "Go. They need you."

"Sun's Light, you know it's a matter of whether _you two_ need me," she said, eyes cast down toward her wife's middle.

" _We_ are just fine," the redhead assured, still getting used to the idea she was watching out for more than just herself.

"Okay," Talanah said, kissing her again. "Give me two hours." The Sun-Hawk gave her temporary farewell to the others, slipping out of the door and back into the bustle of the city.

Elisabet and Petra remained in the kitchen while Aloy began eating at the table. Elisabet let out a heavy sigh, sipping more tea.

"You okay, Lis?" Petra asked, wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist.

"Y-yeah," Elisabet replied. "It's just..." her eyes became glassy, "I never had time for kids when I was her age. And that was fine. And then--then the Plague hit. And I thought to myself--this is it, this is where it all ends. And somehow I'm here, and I have her, and now-- _fuck_ I'm going to be a _grandmother,_ Petra. We all are: you, me, and GAIA. How...how the hell does that even happen?" There it was: the darkness hitting again. The knowledge that she had survived and no one else had.

"You broke the mold when the fires forged you," Petra said. "Same with Flame-Hair. This is a _gift,_ Lis. Don't refuse it."

"I'm-I'm not. Of course I'm not," Elisabet said, a haunted look behind her eyes. "But sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve this. Why I got so lucky."

"We don't choose the ore we're made of," the Oseram replied. "And I don't know about you, but I'm excited."

Elisabet nodded and kissed Petra. "Me too. I just...need a moment to process." She stepped out of the kitchen, walking outside with her mug to get some air.

Aloy walked in, putting her dish in the sink. "Thanks, Petra. That was the first full meal I've been able to eat in days."

"Anything for you, Flame-Hair," Petra said.

"Is...is Mother okay?" Aloy asked, hanging her head. "I feel like somehow I've upset her."

"No, no, not at all," the Oseram insisted, lowering her eyes. "Hammer to steel, you know she just...it's hard sometimes. For her to accept the good and feel like she actually deserves it."

"Yeah," Aloy said quietly. "Sometimes I feel the same way."

The redhead gently reached for the Oseram's hand, placing it low, where she could just start to detect the forming roundness. "Little Spark!" she breathed with an almost reverent whisper.

"What?"

"An Oseram nickname," she said. "I don't know anyone who sparks brighter than than your mother and yourself. This little one will be cast from a forge unlike anyone else."

"Little Spark," Aloy said, musing to herself, her hand coming to rest atop Petra's, keeping it firmly against her belly.

"You know we mean it, right?" she asked. "About you being her grandmother. You've been there for both of us for so long. We can't imagine it any other way."

Petra turned her head to swallow back tears. "You're going to make me cry, Flame-Hair," she said, finally removing her hand to dab at her eyes for the second time that day. "And you know I don't do that."

Aloy chuckled. "Yeah, you _never_ do that."

The Oseram paused, clearing her throat. "She's thrilled, you know. But it's so hard for your mother to let go of the guilt she feels."

"I know, Petra. I know."

\------

Elisabet stood outside, the mug of tea still in her hand as she looked vacantly down the alley.

"Are upset that I did not inform you?" GAIA said, into her Focus.

"No, GAIA. Really, I'm not."

"Your vitals show signs of distress."

"I'm...I never expected this, GAIA. I thought I was going to die on the family ranch. Then I was a mother by some insane course of events, and now I'm a _grandmother?_ "

The AI's projection appeared before her, her arms around the redhead's middle, their foreheads appearing to touch. "I know how you still suffer, Elisabet." The redhead couldn't deny it. It wasn't as if she hadn't been working with ELEUTHIA for the better part of a decade to help manage her post-traumatic stress disorder or her bouts of anxiety. Hell, she still had the occasional night terror--forever trapped in the tomb of her environmental suit.

The redhead closed her eyes, "We're _grandmothers,_ GAIA. How did that even happen?"

"As I have said for years--in both of you, all things are possible."

"In _me?_ GAIA, everything I have now, _you_ gave me. You kept me alive. You gave me Aloy. And now you do this. How do I ever repay that?"

GAIA looked at her earnestly. "I have never done anything for you in hopes of repayment, Elisabet," she said, one of her holographic hands stroking along the older woman's jaw. "That is not what love is."

The redhead's lip quivered a moment while she screwed up her face, nodding her understanding.

"There is no one I would rather do this with," GAIA said softly. She tilted her head, monitoring the slowing throb in Elisabet's ribs as she began to calm.

"I have no idea how to do this part," Elisabet admitted to the AI woman.

GAIA smiled, a hand lingering on the redhead's hip. "By all accounts, I believe this part is considered easier."

Elisabet grinned. Her own mother had talked once or twice about spoiling hypothetical grandchildren--much to a twenty-something Elisabet's chagrin. Perhaps she could make good on it.

"I am listening to her now," GAIA said.

"How's she sound?"

"Strong."

Elisabet shook her head in amusement, the corners of her lips drawing up while her fingers gently played with the white and blue bead.

"Of course she does."

\------

The door opened and Elisabet stepped through to find Aloy laying across the couch, head propped on a pillow and legs outstretched. As soon as she heard her mother enter, the younger redhead moved to sit up.

"No, no, don't move," Elisabet said, gesturing with her hand. "I'm sure you're still exhausted from the trip back. GAIA...told me it was a little rough." She walked over and lifted the younger woman's feet up, sitting and letting Aloy's legs drape over her own.

"You could say that," the redhead replied, trying not to think about it.

They sat in companionable silence for several minutes before Elisabet finally spoke. "You know I'm happy about this, right?"

Aloy said nothing but pulled Elisabet's hand close, pressing her palm against her belly. Instantly, Elisabet's throat tightened, the feeling so foreign to a body she herself had practically lived in--unable to deny that as her daughter had gotten older, their shared features had continued to hold strong. She remembered being twenty-nine, remembered how it felt--and this was so new and different. So much more obvious to her than it was to anyone save Aloy herself.

"Whoa," she said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Better than I have the last few weeks," Aloy replied.

"You know what I mean."

Aloy sat up, leaning her weight into Elisabet's side, her head on the older woman's shoulder, while she kept her mother's hand in place. "Happy, I think."

"You think?"

"I feel like I'm...doing the right thing. But every morning I wake up and I have to convince myself it wasn't all just a dream--that this isn't just some vision before I die on the floor of that Cauldron. Sometimes I'm still afraid everything will fall apart."

Elisabet sighed, feeling the soft up and down of their shared breaths. “I know the feeling, kiddo.”

"Sometimes I listen just to remind myself that it's real," Aloy whispered.

"May I?" Elisabet asked, hesitantly.

Aloy nodded wordlessly, tapping something on her Focus. "I cried so hard when GAIA first played it for us."

A fast, fluttering rhythm began. Elisabet listened, a quiet, happy sob escaping her throat. Any doubts she'd had about what she deserved or about the fairness of it all melting away. This was here. This was now. The ghosts of the past could stand to be silent for this just moment. Just for now, at least.

"I love you _both_ so much."

It was all Aloy needed to hear.

\------

The sun dipped low and the sky began to ripen and turn brilliant pink and orange when Talanah finally returned, walking with a slight limp.

"Little Thrush, I am _so_ sorry it took so long, I-"

"Shh," Petra warned softly. "She's in the spare room upstairs, taking a nap."

Talanah flushed with embarrassment. "Sun and Shadow," she cursed, walking in, her fingers kneading the muscle of her leg.

"She's just tired--you had to attend to things. She understands," Petra assured. "Fire and spit, you look exhausted as well."

"It was a long trip back," Talanah said, "and then everyone at the Lodge wanted to update me and before I knew it, I was signing off on the most recent Hawk promotions."

"How's your leg?" Petra asked, watching as the Sun-Hawk attempted to flex it.

"Can't complain," Talanah replied, shrugging it off.

"Now that's a damn lie," Petra laughed quietly. "You were riding for days and now you've been on your feet for hours. I know it hasn't been right since-"

"I know. I _know._ By the Sun, it's a dull ache all the time--some days better than others. But I'm not going to say a word about it and you can't either. Aloy doesn't need that. She's the one doing all the hard work--so I'm not about to harp on an old injury. I've lived with it this long."

"You two are more stubborn than the Ealdormen themselves," Petra said. "Well, go on upstairs and rest with her."

"We should probably get going-"

"Nonsense. You two had a long road getting back here and you're both tuckered out. You're staying the night, and you're not saying no."

Talanah smiled, unable to resist the allure of being cared for, fed and well-rested by her family. "Okay, fine. You win."

"We'll call you down in time for dinner," Petra assured with a grin.

The Sun-Hawk limped up the stairs before shedding her outer layers to the floor and sliding into the bed in the spare room that had previously been their own. Aloy stirred at the movement, eyes flickering to find her wife laying next to her. "Hey."

"Hey, you okay?" Talanah greeted with a kiss.

"Just tired--same as usual lately. Hoping it'll let up soon like the healers in the Sacred Land said."

The dark-haired woman rolled toward Aloy only to whimper as she put more pressure on her thigh. Instantly Aloy reached, digging strong knuckles and fingertips into the stiff muscle, massaging out the knots, even in her groggy state.

"You don't have to do that," Talanah insisted.

Aloy looked at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because _I'm_ supposed to be taking care of _you._ Not the other way around," Talanah replied, reaching for her middle and feeling the repetitive rise and fall of the tiny swell as she breathed, still astounded that the life Aloy carried came from them _both._

"You were the one telling me earlier today that I'm not weak, so don't treat me like it. We're doing this _together._ "

Talanah said nothing but let the redhead knead along her leg until she sighed in relief. "You know I'm sorry for this," Aloy whispered softly. "I'll never forgive myself."

"How many times have I told you this is _not_ your fault? Besides," she said, kissing her wife. "I'd do it all over again. Sun's Light, it meant I got to keep you."

\------

The group gathered around the table and Aloy found herself ravenous for the second time that day--a welcome change of pace after the last few. The four talked animatedly, eager and excited and content.

They laughed and ate and drank, Aloy only _slightly_ annoyed that she couldn't partake in the wine.

"So...can I ask what the Nora thought?" Elisabet voiced. "I mean...they know, right?"

Talanah recalled how they'd met with Sona and Jana--two of the current Matriarchs to ask for entrance to the mountain during their stay; they had replaced Teersa and Lansra when they passed into the embrace of the All-Mother. It was a formality, really. The Nora had always allowed her entrance over the last ten years. Sona had known Aloy since the Proving and Jana too had been a supporter of the All-Mother's Chosen for the last decade, unable to deny having witnessed the Goddess herself in the redhead's presence.

"We told them we sought a blessing from the All-Mother," the Sun-Hawk explained. The Nora were slowly coming to an understanding of their Goddess, but had been more resistant than the Banuk had with CYAN over the years. It had been the simplest way to justify their time.

"And so they did," GAIA replied with a smirk, projection coming into view.

"You really have a flair for performance," Elisabet laughed.

"I have never deceived the Nora," GAIA clarified. "They went into the Womb of the Mountain to ask a great favor of the Goddess, and so they received it."

"So you got the Cradle working again? After all this time?" Elisabet asked.

"I had time to prepare, thanks to Aloy, but yes," the AI said. "Functionality required was minimal compared to the facility's original requirements."

"I'm just glad we left before they had a chance to anoint her too," the younger redhead said, squeezing Talanah's hand under the table.

"By the Sun, they were leaving offerings at our door," the Sun-Hawk sighed, recalling how the Nora had reacted upon learning their child came from the All-Mother; an unusual blessing bestowed to two women. The tribe had often wondered who the father might have been and when Talanah had finally shouted them down, insisting there was none, many fell to supplication at their feet; they claimed that the Daughter of the Mountain was so imbued with the Goddess' power that none was required; Talanah was content to let them believe it. Aloy had hated the attention, of course, but if Talanah had to pick between worship and hatred, she'd take the worship any day. It had been a vast improvement compared to how the tribe had received them ten years prior; it seemed the All-Mother's parting words to be kind had stuck.

"Sona did her best to keep them in check, as did Varl and Teb and their wives, but there was only so much we could avoid."

"Fire and spit, if you were Oseram, you'd have the _men_ drinking ale and congratulating each other on a job well done already," Petra laughed, taking another sip.

Aloy eyed Talanah's plate after her own was cleared and the Sun-Hawk pushed it over to her without a word. Whatever she wanted, it was hers. "Thanks," she mumbled sheepishly, devouring the remaining food.

Talanah smirked and put an arm around Aloy's shoulders, catching a glint in the green-gold of her eyes. Everything she had ever wanted was right here in the room with her.

\------

Petra laid on her back, Elisabet tucked into her chest now that they had all retreated to their rooms for the night. She trailed her fingers through equal strands of red and silver. "Some day, huh?" the Oseram said quietly.

"I still can't believe it," Elisabet breathed.

"You're going to be great at it," Petra said.

Elisabet chuckled. "No, if one of us is suited to this, it's you. Just try not to involve her in any explosive activities until _at least_ age five."

"No promises," Petra laughed deeply. The two were quiet for several minutes before she spoke again. "It's not going anywhere, you know."

"What?"

"All of this. I know you. I know you're still thinking it. Every time something good happens, you and Flame-Hair both get scared the same way."

"Can you blame us?"

"No, I don't. But I want you to enjoy this--the same way I do. The way GAIA does."

At the mention of the AI, Elisabet's mind turned. Aloy had always accepted GAIA's ethereal nature--never quite here but never _not._ Her non-corporeal form had never bothered herself or the girl, but it seemed so unfair that she would be unable to have the same experience as they would. How would the woman made of light interact with something so small and new and unable to comprehend her? GAIA would never complain, of course she wouldn't, but the idea had been there--tucked in the corners of her imagination for some time, long before Aloy's announcement.

"What's wrong?" Petra asked, sleep beginning to take hold.

"Nothing."

"I know you better than that."

"Yeah," Elisabet grinned, kissing her hard. "You do."

\------

"Yes, that's the right one. You'll find the list of components in the contract," Elisabet said quickly, dismissing the delver from her study at the academy. The shelves were lined with machine components, scrolls and books--mostly Carja works--but also a few relics from the old world, and even a few new additions from the school's students. A week had passed and the younger redhead found herself having finally returned to her mother's tutelage.

Aloy raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Side project," Elisabet shrugged. "You know I can't sit still."

"Will you check my work?"

"Of course, kiddo." Elisabet scanned the lines of code Aloy had put into the training prompt. She'd had a lot of catching up to do, but in the years since defeating HEPHAESTUS, Aloy had slowly and doggedly worked her way up to learn how to program. And though she split her duties between the academy, the city, and the Lodge, she'd made excellent progress. "Getting better! Try switching this syntax here," Elisabet gestured on the Focus interface.

"And you thought I hadn't practiced while we were gone," Aloy smirked.

"I _am_ impressed."

Aloy revised the lines, Elisabet nodding her approval before tapping out of the program. It was getting late in the afternoon and she was due to meet Talanah at the Lodge. She reached for the loose outer tunic that hung on the back of her seat, still unwilling to allow anyone who wasn't close know; she had only just informed Avad and Vanasha and a few select others the prior day. It was one thing to convince the Nora that her child had been a gift from the Goddess. It would be another to face Carja who had never liked a Nora Savior to begin with--and still others who would not for a second buy into such Nora piousness. Someone would ask the question-- _who?_ And as soon as word would spread, who knew whose ears it could reach. Not everything in the last ten years had been pure bliss and there were some who had grown to resent the influence of the Savior. The Anointed. The Machine Rider and her mate. There were those who resented _Meridian itself_ for all it had attained.

"Will you teach _her_ how to program too?" she asked, pausing.

Elisabet smiled. "By the time she's ready to start learning this, _you_ can teach her," she said a bit wistfully. "But I'll be there every step of the way for our Little Spark."

"So I guess that's sticking," Aloy laughed.

"You know Petra," Elisabet shrugged. "Once she gets a nickname in her head, she never lets it go. Hard to resist."

"I'm _still_ not sure she knows my actual name," Aloy joked.

Elisabet kissed the side of the younger woman's head. "Give Talanah my love."

"Always."

\------

Aloy walked quickly through the winding streets of Meridian, arms folded over her middle on top of the outer tunic she wore. She was desperate to avoid attention; the citizens of the city were often clamoring for her attention but especially now she felt _exposed_ and increasingly vulnerable. The redhead did her best to conceal the swell, hoping she could keep this most treasured secret between herself and her wife for a few weeks longer still.

The Hunters Lodge looked as busy as ever, men and women alike streaming in and out; the hunters had taken a new role in the city since the Derangement had ended. No more were the days of dangerous machines chomping at the bit to kill. They would still fight back as a form of self-preservation if provoked enough, and many of the combat models had been repurposed entirely, their parts vital enough to the tribal peoples that GAIA couldn't bear to retire them. These days, the hunters were rewarded more for the rarity of the parts they could hunt rather than the ferociousness of their kills. It had taken time, but Talanah had convinced the Hawks and Thrushes that it was no less a test of skill--their components were highly sought after by Elisabet's academy, the students using them for experiments or projects.

Aloy entered, and was quickly directed to the upper level to find Talanah. She was a common sight around the Lodge and several hunters offered her a warm welcome back as she made her way through the main floor and up the stairs. As she drew near, she could hear raised voices, her ears perking up at the sound of her wife yelling, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach.

"This is your last warning, Deron. If I so much as hear a whisper, you're done. By the Sun, I don't give a _damn_ what Ahsis would have done. It's been ten years. It's time to embrace the future, but if you'd rather stay in the past, you can walk right out that door and join the other nobles who are still stuck in the mud."

The older man stormed away, cursing under his breath. He stomped past Aloy and turned to glare at her, eyes boring into her form. Like he could see through her. Like he _knew._ Her heart began to pound beneath her ribs, a fear creeping into her that she hadn't felt before. Fear for the small, vulnerable little thing within. She instinctively curled her arms around her belly in a protective stance before Talanah came to her side, a hand on her lower back.

"What was that?" the redhead asked, a shudder crawling across her skin.

"Deron seems to have taken it upon himself to rile up the Hawks and Thrushes while we've been gone, spouting off his elitist views. He wishes he could take us all back to the old days," the Sun-Hawk said, gritting her teeth. "And he seems to have no problem telling the others what he thinks of my leadership." She sighed. "It's fine. I'm handling it."

Aloy's brows knitted and her hands fell to her sides in fists, angry on her wife’s behalf. "Does he know?"

"I haven't told anyone else. I _wouldn't_ unless I had your blessing. Why? Did he say something when he walked off? Sun and Shadow if he so much as--"

"No, he didn't. I just...I got a strange feeling."

Talanah laced their fingers. "Never mind him, let's go home."

\------

Their bed was comfortable and soft and after the day she'd had at the Lodge, Talanah was glad to have it. Her leg ached in the background as it often did and she pushed the discomfort away, noticing that Aloy was strangely still and quiet.

The Sun-Hawk kissed at her throat, her lips against Aloy's skin. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the redhead insisted, attempting to stay aloof for a moment before she sighed and gave in, giving voice to a worry that had been nagging at her for the last few days. "He just...scared me, is all."

"Who, Deron? Little Thrush, you've taken down men like him without so much as blinking. He's just blowing smoke--he'll calm down once I've been back awhile. I'm sure he thought his opinions had a foothold while I left Jal in charge, but he knows who's Sun-Hawk."

"I know...I know, but I just...worry now. In a way I didn't have to before. People are going to _know_ soon. And not all of those people will be friends and allies."

Talanah nodded, but tried to brush away Aloy's fears. "I've got you. Both of you," the dark-haired woman assured, resting a palm on the subtle roundness of her belly. "Try not to worry, little Thrush. You don't need that right now," she said, beginning to distract her with kisses that trailed down her neck to the tops of her slightly swollen breasts.

Aloy bit her lip but gave in to Talanah's affections. "Goddess," she hissed in a mix of pain and delight.

"Sore?" the Sun-Hawk asked, looking up. The Nora healers had warned them about this, too.

"Very."

"Do you want me to stop?" Talanah asked earnestly. Her fingers traced along the scar on the redhead's throat, the faded burn along her right arm, spread like lightning, the claw marks along the side of her stomach that would surely stretch as their daughter grew.

"No," Aloy replied with a smirk, hugging her wife close to her body. She had exactly what she wanted.

Family. A wife who loved her. Their daughter.

_"I never want any of this to stop."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you're waiting for that smut I promised.
> 
> Next week~


	2. The Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW 
> 
> Smut-with-feelings/plot.
> 
> If this isn't your jam, skip to the end of the chapter for a SFW summary of any important plot/character moments.
> 
> ————-  
> Sup, I have zero chill and literally no ability to hold back when a chapter is finished and since I wrote this one awhile back and just edited it, it’s yours. We’re eating good this week, fam.
> 
> Regular SFW chapter will be next up, but expect that to take the typical two weeks. Maybe I figure if I spoil you all now, you’ll forgive me for having to wait a little.

**NOVEMBER**

It was already evening when Talanah arrived home after hours and hours at the Hunters Lodge. The day had run long, the concerns of the Hawks seeping through the members after months of Deron's complaints and objections to the role the hunters now played, and the Sun-Hawk who led them. Now that they were settled, there was no choice but to slowly and painstakingly address it. She rolled her neck and shoulders, the muscles tight and tense. Her thigh ached, but she'd refused to sit while at the Lodge, unwilling to present an ounce of weakness. Unwilling to prove Deron right. She sighed and tried to brush the thoughts away, entering her home with the limp that often accompanied extended hours on her feet.

She walked in the door to find it strangely quiet. "Aloy?" she called.

The Sun-Hawk stepped through their main living room down the hallway to their bedroom, only to find her wife asleep in a large pile of cushions she'd nested on the floor, the small bedroom wood stove crackling gently, its low heat contained safely behind thick glass. Not that it was truly cold in the desert this time of year, but the nights _were_ cooler and she knew Aloy appreciated the comfort of it all the same. She smiled at the sight--she couldn't blame Aloy for being tired; she couldn't even imagine what it was like--what kind of strength it took to carry their daughter. Talanah knelt down near her wife's sleeping form, gently carding her fingers through the redhead's fiery hair before letting her palm come to rest on the low of her belly feeling the soft up and down as she breathed, admiring how beautifully she was rounding. It was still possible for her to hide from most prying eyes, but only barely--her looser layers no longer hiding as much as Aloy would have liked. In just another week or two, surely everyone would know if they didn't suspect already--and this little secret they shared only among family and their closest friends would be the next gossip among the citizens of Meridian.

She paused and smirked, standing back up, remembering the last time she and Aloy had fallen asleep on the floor in front of the fire like this. She bit her lip, thinking back to when the redhead had asked her the question that would change their lives forever.

\------

**APRIL, SEVEN MONTHS AGO**

The night had been long and full of laughter, dancing, food and drink and Talanah was reminded again of just how amazed she was that Aloy was _hers._ Living to see twenty-nine was something neither of them could have imagined ten years prior, and yet here her little Thrush was, celebrating the last birthday of her twenties and more vibrant than ever. They'd spent the evening with Avad, Elisabet, Petra, and Vanasha, along with a few other members from the Lodge, enjoying the company of their friends and family alike. Avad had spared no expense--insisting on the best wine and the finest tinctures--and the two women had swayed home after it had grown late enough that neither could resist the stolen glances of the other.

The pair had walked with arms wrapped around each other, stopping here and there for a few inelegant but passionate kisses until finally making it to their home on the outskirts of Meridian Village. Aloy had opened the door and led Talanah directly to their bedroom with an eagerness that belied her intentions, quickly starting a small fire in their wood stove and grasping for every pillow, blanket, and cushion they had.

"What...are you doing?" Talanah asked with a sway, her arms crossed but face plastered with an inebriated smirk. She'd taken Avad up on both drinks and herbs, and was feeling particularly good at the moment, the typical subtle ache in her left leg all but gone.

"Seducing you," Aloy replied coyly, slurring just a little.

"As if you have to try."

"Come on, it'll be like we're traveling again. No bed, just us."

"I thought we outgrew screwing on bedrolls now that we're old and full of injuries," the Sun-Hawk joked, watching as Aloy arranged it all on the floor. "Besides, I don't remember this many pillows last time we were on the road."

Aloy gave an exaggerated pout. "Going to deny me?" she teased in a faux begging tone, walking up to Talanah and wrapping her arms around her tightly, pressing them both hip to hip. The redhead began to kiss her way up the Sun-Hawk's throat, nipping at her jaw and the outer edge of her ear, sending a shiver down Talanah's spine and a flush through her cheeks. Already she could feel it, the familiar ache just barely beginning to build, the same one she'd felt every time the redhead touched her like _that._

"By the Sun, you know I'd never deny you anything--ever," Talanah breathed, shuddering slightly while Aloy kissed her repeatedly, letting her tongue trail up the Sun-Hawk's neck. Aloy began to open Talanah's shirt, undoing the clasps at the front. She pressed the dark-haired woman back until she was against the red stone wall, pulling off the layers of her top until her breasts were exposed. Aloy thumbed at one until the Sun-Hawk's nipple hardened and Talanah's hips pressed forward against her own, already becoming full with _want._ "Ugh, how do you _do_ that?" she asked.

"Years of practice," Aloy said, breath hot against Talanah's ear.

Aloy continued to undress the Sun-Hawk, slipping a hand down her wife's Carja leggings--just enough to tease without touching anything Talanah actually wanted. She began removing her own clothing and leading them both to the comfortable pile she'd created, their skin warmed by the small fire nearby. The redhead eased them to the floor, pressing Talanah's muscled back into the cushions, kissing the Sun-Hawk deeply. She slipped her tongue in as they exchanged heated motions, each of them drinking the other in. Aloy broke away breathlessly, gazing at her wife's kiss-swollen lips with a hunger she knew all too well. The redhead ran her hand along Talanah's now-bare left thigh, gently tracing the deep scar the steelmanes had etched into her a decade earlier. She'd always taken care to make sure the Sun-Hawk never felt the need to hide it or feel embarrassed about it in any way. She gripped tightly, massaging out the tightness that lingered chronically until her wife breathed a low whine of satisfaction. If it hadn't been for what Talanah had suffered, Aloy knew she wouldn't even be _alive._

She dipped her head and kissed along the scar; the old injury had left a noticeable depression in her skin and muscle and Aloy teased her way along the soft skin of her inner thigh, closer and closer to her center before stopping and looking up, a mischievous smirk on her face, eyes glassed with adoration and a lack of sobriety. Talanah moaned in frustration, knowing her wife was thoroughly teasing her.

"You're going to be the death of me, you know that?"

Aloy nudged the Sun-Hawk's thighs apart, placing one of her own between them, Talanah's right leg between hers. Aloy resisted the urge to move and didn't give her the satisfaction of contact. Instead, she leaned forward and took the Sun-Hawk's breast in her mouth, slowly and agonizingly letting her tongue lave at the sensitive skin. The sound of her wife's moan as she arched forward for more contact brought a deep satisfaction to the redhead, heat simmering in her belly. She nipped, occasionally using her teeth, knowing Talanah enjoyed the balance between pleasure and pain.

The Sun-Hawk felt the build of her heartbeat between her legs slowly and steadily becoming heavier as her wife lavished her. She was so beautiful, Talanah thought, as she caught the flicker of firelight in the green-gold of her eyes. She let her hands caress along the scars that mapped her wife's body. Her fingertips traced the faded line on Aloy's throat, the jagged pattern on her arm, and the thick claw marks on her side, honoring each in turn with slow, soft touch--it made Aloy's chest ache every time she did so. The Carja let out a whimper while Aloy continued to work her tongue over her nipple; the dark-haired woman attempted to buck her hips into the redhead's thigh for contact, but the huntress moved just out of reach.

"Please," Talanah begged, the throb between her legs becoming harder and harder. More insistent. More full of _need._

Instead, Aloy sucked more deeply, making soft wet sounds that had the slick pooling between Talanah's legs. Aloy's tongue continued to lave at her while her right hand--the one still bearing the faint lightning-like scar running from her pinky all the way up to her shoulder--reached for her other breast. She tweaked the nipple between her fingers, eliciting a purr from deep in the Sun-Hawk's chest. Talanah began to breathe harder while Aloy's own whimper reverberated against her skin, the sensation so tantalizing she felt a chill. She tried to roll her hips again, knowing she was becoming more and more slick, the need for touch becoming more and more urgent. She wanted this. Wanted it _badly._ It wasn't like Aloy to play so many games, though she couldn't say she wasn't enjoying it.

Aloy could tell Talanah was becoming frustrated, feeling an equal need to satisfy the hard throbbing pulse that seemed to radiate out from her clit and through the hollow of her hips--but she knew the moment she freed her mouth what would come next. The question she'd been wanting to ask her wife for the last three months. She didn't know why she felt nervous--it wasn't like they hadn't talked about it over the last several years. But it had never been so _real,_ so imminent. So deeply felt in her own body every time Talanah ignited that familiar flame in her belly. Finally she gave in, pressing her slick heat into Talanah's thigh and taking her mouth away, only to tease two fingers at the Sun-Hawk's entrance.

"Yes," Talanah breathed. "I want you inside me."

Aloy placed her left hand at the nape of Talanah's neck, her right gently pressing in with no resistance now that her wife was so thoroughly wet and wanting. She slowly began a rhythm of curling her fingers deep into Talanah, the Sun-Hawk mewling with pleasure. "There, right there," she instructed, thrusting her hips into the redhead's hand. Aloy found herself unable to resist any longer, grinding herself into Talanah's thigh, the friction against her aching clit causing a low whine to escape her throat. "That's it, little Thrush," her wife encouraged lovingly, her own movement only adding to Aloy's gasps--such vulnerable little noises that no one got hear but her. It was her favorite part of their intimacy together: seeing a side of Aloy that no one else did.

The redhead looked up to find Talanah's eyes, staring into them deeply. "What's wrong?" Talanah asked, breathing heavily.

Aloy's cheeks burned deep scarlet. "I'm...I'm ready, Talanah," she said softly, continuing to jerk against her, her own desire clouding her mind as much as everything else had that night. Maybe she could just continue, could just keep going until the heat and pressure were too much to take. Until the nervousness rattling through her body disappeared and nothing would matter but the feeling of the Sun-Hawk's body against her own.

Talanah's eyebrows drew together in concern but Aloy only continued her pace, the muscled sinew of her body moving fluidly against her. She added a third finger and Talanah gasped at sensation of fullness, letting Aloy continue. She tensed around her wife's fingertips repeatedly, the internal pressure deep and satisfying. Aloy maintained a slow, constant rhythm, listening to her wife's breath quicken. Eventually she began to slow.

"I...I know we've talked about it off and on and...I think it's the right time," the redhead said, trailing off. She took a deep breath. This was going to change everything.

The Sun-Hawk stopped moving altogether, propping her weight up on her elbow. "Aloy, are you saying...?"

Aloy withdrew from her body and leaned back on her haunches. "I want to have _your_ baby," the redhead breathed, for the first time ever, finally giving voice to her desire. Her cheeks and breasts were flushed, suddenly feeling exposed in front of her wife. The pause that followed after seemed to slow all time, or was it the tincture? The wine? Talanah wasn't sure anymore. Aloy's words burned through her as understanding finally set in, her heart beginning to pound faster and faster.

"My...?"

"I asked GAIA if it was possible a few months ago, and it is."

Talanah froze. In all the years they'd been together, she'd never seriously thought any children they would have would be of _her blood._ She had accepted it from the beginning; it had become clear a few years after ending the Derangement that Aloy was determined to bear their child herself. Talanah hadn't been surprised--her wife's lingering Nora upbringing and her own unorthodox entrance into the world meant she understood why it was such a deep seated need. And she had been more than okay with knowing that one day they would likely need to find a man they trusted when it came time. Avad himself had always been at the top of her list if they could be _discreet_ enough about it to avoid scandal. What other way would there have been? But now, to know that she might be able to help bring someone into the world that came from _both_ of them? That Aloy _wanted_ to do it this way _for her?_ She couldn't imagine a bigger privilege than the one her wife was offering her now. The blood rushed in her ears, body and mind pulsing with possibility.

The Sun-Hawk's flushed lips parted to speak but nothing came out, the shock of the moment stealing every word from her mouth. How could she possibly explain to Aloy what this meant? How _grateful_ she was? That the redhead was even willing to take on such a task in the first place seemed so monumental to her. Talanah had always felt incredibly lucky to have Aloy at all, and now here she was, looking at the goddess that was her wife--speechless. She had promised her worship once and more and more she felt justified in her devotion, stunned into silence by the gift now laid at her feet.

Aloy began to panic, her eyes searching for some way to read the Sun-Hawk's expression, a cold shudder settling in her veins. "Talanah, please say something. I'm sorry--I--I didn't mean to scare you. I know it was hard for you to accept the idea of ELEUTHIA when we first went to the Sacred Land, but I just wanted...I wanted it to be you. No one else."

Suddenly Talanah leaned all the way forward, kissing Aloy hard and switching their positions at the same time, heat pooling deep in her belly. Sun's Light, she wasn't worthy of this woman, but she would try to be all the same. The Sun-Hawk didn't let up until they were both breathless and panting, the two pressed so tightly she could feel Aloy's heart hammering in her own ribs. She nipped at the redhead's throat and used her teeth to pull gently at her lip. She nudged apart Aloy's legs with her right knee and trailed her tongue down her wife's chest and stomach, kissing her way between each hip bone until she stopped dead center, kissing again. She imagined the swell that would form there, her skin hot and body eager to make good on the redhead's offer.

Aloy's breath was heavy and fast with anticipation and desire; Talanah still hadn't said anything and she needed to know. There was no way she would dare to want this if her wife wasn't completely okay with it. The Sun-Hawk bent low and angled Aloy's hips between her own, and suddenly the redhead was aware of the deep throb that had remained, a heat that begged for relief. The dark-haired woman aligned them both so that as she bucked her hips forward, their bodies collided wonderfully, slick, plump folds meeting. Aloy moaned as Talanah began a steady rhythm, holding herself up above her; she couldn't help but allow her fingers to trace along the rippled musculature of her wife's back, melting at the strength of her shoulders.

"You want this?" Talanah whispered hotly against her ear, sweat just barely beginning to bead down her chest.

"More than anything," Aloy moaned, grasping her wife's hip and holding them even closer, Talanah's body throbbing deliciously against her own. "But only if it's with you." Her words sent a molten heat straight down the Sun-Hawk's throat deep into her core. She swallowed thickly, gazing at the pale but powerful body beneath her, her hips working into Aloy's, the two of them moving together with a consistency that was slowly driving her mad.

The Sun-Hawk could feel the slow build of pressure low in her hips, her orgasm just starting to approach when Aloy grabbed one of her hands and kissed at her fingertips. "I need you to say it," she said. "I need you to say you want it too because if doing it this way scares you...we won't."

Before Talanah could answer, Aloy slipped the Sun-Hawk's middle finger into her mouth, warm and wet, and began to suck up and down the length. Talanah moaned into the side of her wife's throat, picking up her pace, swollen clits rubbing through mixed slick. The huntress bobbed her head enthusiastically, taking Talanah's finger down to her knuckle and allowing herself to groan with desire, as if she could communicate her need through her motions alone. Soft gagging sounds made the fire in the Sun-Hawk's belly stoke higher, her need for release drawing closer.

Talanah's hips continued their agonizingly consistent rhythm, and Aloy knew she only had so long she could hold out, a fullness and pressure building in her core. She continued to bob her head, sucking and relishing the subtle salt of her wife's skin. Slowly, Talanah withdrew her hand and planted it on the floor near the redhead's shoulder for support. She began to move faster, keeping her face buried in Aloy's neck. She could feel Aloy stroking her hair gently, the beat in her wife's throat pulsing against her lips where she kissed. It was fast. Hard. In a way that Talanah knew only happened when she was scared or nervous or eager.

"I love you," Talanah purred against her skin. By the Sun, she was getting close, and she knew Aloy was too; her whimpers growing more and more insistent and chest beginning to heave. She stilled, causing Aloy to whine in frustration, dipping her head to flick her tongue over peaked breasts, swirling her tongue slowly over and over, keeping them pressed hip to hip. The redhead arched in small, desperate movements but Talanah remained still, making her sit with the unease of impending release. The pulsing sensation of Aloy's hot, damp heat against her own made staying still a torturous exercise while she tried her best to stave off her need to come.

"Please," Aloy pleaded, now unsure whether it was for an answer or just _more._

"Fine. You know what I want?" Talanah replied, her breath hot against Aloy's throat.

"Tell me," Aloy begged, tension in every muscle. She wanted this. Needed it, the urge to send her body crashing against the Sun-Hawk's fraying every nerve.

Talanah began to move again, bracing herself with her arms and keeping face low. "I want _you_ to have _my_ baby," she growled, bucking into her wife harder and harder. "And if I could give that to you _right now,_ I would," she said, wishing for just this moment that it could be done by sheer force of will. She would have given her wife anything she wanted, filling her with fire and life.

Aloy swore she felt her heart stop, a rush of love and excitement and fear and a million other emotions flooding into her chest. "I love you," she responded in a breathy, hitched voice, lifting Talanah's face until she could kiss the Sun-Hawk hard, biting her lip until they both tasted the first hint of iron. She was getting _so_ close, and she unashamedly arced her heat into Talanah, desperate for every touch. Her wife moved faster and faster, nipping at her neck, her freckled shoulders, her breasts. It was all too much: the wine, the herbs, the smell of perfumed oils in her hair, the movement of her body, her _answer._ Goddess, her _answer._ Every part of her throbbed with the knowledge that soon some part of the woman she loved would take root deep within her.

Aloy's breath began to come in jagged gasps, knowing she was approaching the point of no return. The ache between her legs became insistent, everything swollen and full, tensed and ready for crashing release. "Talanah, I--I--"

"I've got you," Talanah promised.

Everything tensed as waves of orgasm rolled through her, body clenched and eyes tightly closed while a high pitched yelp tore from her arced and exposed throat. A moment of calm passed and then Talanah's hands were on her, helping her come down from the high gently, soft kisses interspersed with whispered declarations of her love. Her movements slowed, riding out the last few warm contractions of her body before Aloy carefully switched their positions. She flipped Talanah, allowing her to lay back and stop putting weight on her bad leg. The Sun-Hawk sighed in relief as the ache in her thigh subsided; she could hardly get a word out--but she didn't need to. After this many years exploring each other's bodies, Aloy knew exactly what she wanted.

The redhead took Talanah's breast into her mouth, her tongue flicking over the peaked nipple with an efficiency that spoke of years of experience. Talanah hissed with pleasure, arcing her chest closer, the unspoken request for Aloy to take her deeper answered immediately. The redhead's left hand worked her way low, down between her wife's legs and through dark curls to find her clit, stroking the swollen nub. Talanah moaned out, repeating her wife's name in a sort of constant chant, a prayer to the goddess she'd sworn her loyalty to; her power could eclipse the Sun itself.

Aloy dipped her fingers lower, teasing shallowly in and out at Talanah's entrance, causing the Sun-Hawk to press her hips forward with need. Two fingers pressed in and Goddess, her insides felt as hot as the Meridian sun. Aloy bobbed against Talanah's breast, allowing small mewls and deep swallows to escape her throat, causing her wife to rhythmically clench around her in delight. The Sun-Hawk brought her hand up to rest lightly at the base of Aloy's throat, enjoying the feel of the muscle as she laved at her. Talanah tilted Aloy's chin up, the redhead releasing her with a wet _pop_ as they made eye contact.

"Please," Talanah begged. Aloy grinned, knowing exactly what her wife was asking for as she slid her wet fingers out. She backed up, laying flat on her stomach while Talanah spread her legs wantonly. She kissed along the insides of her thighs, her tongue trailing along the familiar scar until she placed an open-mouthed kiss over her wife's swollen, throbbing clit. Aloy flicked her tongue in a constant up and down pattern over the nub, her hot breath causing Talanah to shiver. She was already so dangerously close, knowing it wouldn't take very long now. Aloy's eyes bored into her from below and Talanah reached low, placing her palm on the back of her wife's head, her fingers brushing her hair back and gently pressing her closer. Aloy moaned loudly against her skin, her mouth full with the taste of the woman she loved.

Talanah's hips arced against her, first slowly and then building in tempo, the wet heat of Aloy's tongue against her bringing her right to the brink. Aloy curled her arms tightly around Talanah's thighs as she jerked harder. The Sun-Hawk closed her eyes tightly.

"Yes," she hissed again and again, her jaw clenched. The sound of Aloy's groans against her pushed Talanah over the edge, her gasps nearing a yell as her body shook and shuddered, the redhead holding her legs steadily while a warm feeling spread through her muscles and limbs until she finally went boneless and melted into the pile of blankets and pillows, a stillness coming over them both.

Aloy slowly moved away, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before getting up and kissing Talanah hard. She offered a hand to the Sun-Hawk, knowing her leg had likely reached its limit. They both got up and cleaned, returning quickly to their comfortable soft nest when they were finished. The two rolled and faced the fire, Aloy now on her back and Talanah's head nestled against her wife's chest. The two looked on, flames reflecting softly in their eyes. The Sun-Hawk listened to the familiar beat as it slowed and became soothingly calm once again. She reached for a thin blanket from nearby, pulling it over both of them. Several minutes passed and fatigue was beginning to pull at the redhead, her eyes fluttering. Just as she was about to drift off, she heard Talanah speak in a shuddered whisper.

"What did I ever do to deserve such a gift, little Thrush?" her voice full of reverence and quiet awe.

"You loved me," Aloy said simply.

That was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TSDR; (too sexy, didn't read lol): 
> 
> After celebrating Aloy's 29th birthday and coming home sporting a nice buzz, the two women take some time to enjoy each other's company. Aloy gets up the nerve to tell Talanah she's finally ready to take the next step and wants to have _her_ baby--having already asked GAIA if it was even possible. Talanah is overcome with emotion at the idea that her wife would ever gift her something so precious, never having thought a child between them would ever be of her blood. She proceeds to show Aloy just how much it means to her and how deeply in love she is with the idea.


	3. The Savior's Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Sacred, Greedydragoon, and FriendlyNeighborhoodDisaster for inspiring various parts of this chapter. And of course to NorthernGhost, who inspires me on the reg.

**DECEMBER**

The smell of soldered wire wafted through their home and Elisabet tucked back falling strands of red and silver, readjusting the half-ponytail that kept her hair out of her eyes. The work was slow and delicate with limited use of her Focus, keeping it off of the AI's network, but she found that she enjoyed the manual process--the ritual--of it. Of creating something with passion and determination for someone she loved.

As she got the last chip inserted into the component, she paused, grinning at her progress. With the academy closed for the last few weeks of the year, the redhead was making good time and at this rate, she was sure she'd have it done well in advance of when it was needed. Now might be as good a time as any to finally show the Oseram what she'd been up to--and perhaps even get some help.

"Hey, Petra!" she called. "Petra!"

Elisabet could hear the heavy footfalls of her partner stomping up from their basement bedroom, clearly making a show of her arrival.

"Fire and spit, is that my _wife_ finally allowing me upstairs to see her secret project?" Petra replied sarcastically, putting extra jest on the marital term. She and Elisabet often joked over it between themselves--finding humor in the notion that they were married in every way but legally. The two women had never found the need for some Carja or Oseram ceremony at their older ages, preferring instead to simply remain by the other's side. Elisabet rolled her eyes at the response, but lovingly twisted the ring she wore on her finger--one Petra had forged herself several years prior when she'd learned of the Old Ones' custom.

"Yeah, yeah, come on up here!" Elisabet retorted. "Stop being old and cranky. I promise it was for a good reason."

"Who are you calling old? Steel to my bones, an old lady couldn't have done what we did last ni-- " Petra began, her sentence dying in midair as she took stock of the sight before her, components sprawled around. A few parts were assembled, just enough for her to understand. "Lis, you're not building what I think you are, are you?"

Elisabet looked up at her, a mischievous look in her eyes and a grin spreading across her face. "Seemed like the right time with everything happening. I thought she deserved what we'll have with our Little Spark. You want in?"

"Working on something this advanced? You know I do."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

\------

Red and gold banners flew throughout Meridian Village. The winter solstice had just passed and the celebrations would continue for another week or better, the mood of the populace jovial and hopeful, and even Aloy herself couldn't help but smile. Her first winter solstice in the city had been overshadowed by death and destruction, injury and pain. But not anymore. For years now, it had become one of her favorite Carja holidays.

Deft fingers picked over ripened fruit, searching for the perfect assortment to take home. She mulled over a few apples, adding them to her basket. She noted the greater variety of produce on offer; it was clear DEMETER and GAIA had been hard at work. Aloy enjoyed going to the markets in the city early, before they became overcrowded. Even this many years later, her reputation preceded her, and it was easy to get caught up in crowds seeking to interact with the Savior. The sky was just losing its last touches of pink winter morning and the air was cool and soothing. On mornings like this, she could almost pretend the desert had true seasons--like the ones she missed from the Sacred Land.

She reached for one last item, and felt a now-familiar flutter deep within. The redhead forced herself to resist the urge to press a palm to her belly, instead allowing herself a small smirk. It had been unsettling the first few times she'd felt it, but now she relished the sensation of her Little Spark's movements--small and light as they were for now.

"Your first?" the merchant asked, startling her. "How exciting!"

Aloy frowned. "What?" She looked up to catch sight of the middle-aged woman's gaze aimed straight at her middle.

"I know some people talk about who the father must be, but that's your business! I, for one, think it's wonderful to see the Sun-Hawk and the Savior so happy--old ways be damned. I don’t care what they say, I’m glad the Sun-King has allowed for two women to marry and have children and anyone who says otherwise is an ornery traditionalist,” the woman said.

"I, uh...thanks..." Aloy muttered, her cheeks burning a deep crimson and sick anxiety crawling through her stomach. They knew. They knew and her secret was out. She quickly tossed her shards to the merchant and walked away, now acutely aware of the eyes on her as she navigated the marketplace. Some of the women looked at her kindly--too kindly for the Savior and a couple of the men had an air of suspicion on their faces. Did they really talk about about what the merchant had said? Gossiping over things that were not theirs to wonder? Suddenly her ears perked at whispered words, questions of who and how—some with good natured curiosity, others with discontent.

Her mind began to reel. Damn. How long had people been able to tell? Did _everyone_ know? And if the city at large knew, that meant...

She suddenly felt scared, moving quicker and quicker through the market, the scenery quickly becoming a blur. Her life had always been dangerous. She knew that. She'd told herself things were safer now, but she couldn't fight the sick worry that made her hands feel clammy and her throat tight.

"Aloy, child, I am detecting distress," GAIA said into her Focus.

The redhead said nothing, her huntress' eyes darting, searching for threats as she moved faster toward home, approaching a jog and eventually a full on sprint until she made it out of the village and back to the outskirts, not giving herself a moment to rest or look back. She was breathing hard until she reached her door, opening it in a panic and shutting it hard behind her.

She sank down to the floor, her basket spilling beside her. "Aloy, talk to me," GAIA commanded softly.

Instead the redhead dragged herself over to the their bedroom, shedding her loose tunic and curling into their soft bed, her eyes distant and concerned. GAIA's projection appeared before her, kneeling at her side. "Child, you are having a panic attack," the AI said gently. It had been a year or two since her last one, and she didn't have them quite as often as Elisabet did, but GAIA hated to see her daughter suffer all the same. "I am calling Talanah. Remember our strategies. Breathe. Focus."

Slow, hot tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. "What have I done?" Aloy uttered under her breath.

"Child, I do not understand. You know I do not monitor and store memory of your actions or conversations unless I am actively part of them. You must tell me what has happened. What has upset you so?"

"She's not safe," Aloy said, swallowing thickly.

"Aloy, I am well aware of her and your vitals at all times. I assure you she is perfectly healthy and you are doing an excellent--"

"That's not what I mean," she said, unable to bring herself to voice the fears raging inside her chest. Even this many years later, it was hard to imagine _anything_ was truly safe. "They know."

"Who knows?" GAIA asked softly.

"All of Meridian, apparently," Aloy said ruefully, her hands rubbing at her face in frustration. "And if they know, anyone could."

“Child, they were always going to find out, eventually.”

“I know, I just...the way they looked at me, the things they said...”

GAIA's gaze was full of sympathy. Meridian itself hadn't been breached by enemies since the battle against HADES, but that didn't mean there hadn't been conflicts in the last several years--a few of which the redhead had fought in. While the AI considered her daughter and granddaughter quite safe, it was clear a lifetime of battle had left its scars deep in Aloy, the fear and stress exuding from her so palpable that GAIA might as well have physically felt it herself. There was more the redhead needed to say, it was clear, but she couldn't bring herself to voice it, lest it consume her entirely. Instead, she cried quietly for several moments before looking up through reddened eyes to find GAIA hadn't moved. The AI placed one translucent hand at her cheek and the other at her belly where Aloy covered it with her own. A strong flutter low and deep brought fresh tears to her eyes and not for the first time, GAIA found herself wishing she could hold the both of them in her arms rather than simply simulate the touch she now felt.

"Stay," the redhead begged quietly, arms tightening around her middle. “Please don’t leave me.”

"I will never leave you, Aloy."

\------

"And you don't know exactly what happened? By the Sun, if someone gave her any trouble, I swear I'll...yes, yes, of course. I'm on my way, GAIA. Be there soon," the Sun-Hawk said into her Focus, trying to fight back the nerves crawling through her limbs.

Talanah turned to her second-in-command at the Lodge, "Jal, can you handle things while I'm out? I've got to go. I'll let you know if I'm coming back today."

"Sure, everything okay? Aloy and the baby all right?"

"She's having a rough time right now," Talanah admitted. Jal was one of the handful of hunters she'd told personally, but Talanah knew deep down that they were past the point of being able to hide it from anyone anyway--the tell-tale swell of her wife's belly too obvious to anyone paying attention, even if she attempted to conceal it with layers. "I need to be there."

"Well if you need anything, just shout. You know I've got your back."

Talanah forced a smile. "Thanks, Jal. You're a good man."

"Family's top priority," he said with a shrug. "Besides, you remember--my wife asked for me ten times more than Aloy ever has when she was expecting our first, and you never once questioned it. Your woman's strong--made of fire, blessed by the Sun-God himself. If she needs you, it's important."

The Sun-Hawk nodded her thanks and bounded down the stairs, nearly at the exit when she heard a familiar derisive tone. "Leaving the Lodge again, huh? Some leader. She spends four months away and comes back to, what, leave again whenever she pleases? Makes me miss Ahsis sometimes."

The dark-haired woman spun on her heel when her eyes caught sight of Deron in the corner with a some of his like-minded friends. They were few in number, but clearly smirking like they'd gotten away with something. She didn't like the poisonous attitude they fostered, but she had yet to nail them with any charges she could actually dismiss them with. The older hunter had been quieter these last few weeks since she had last reprimanded him, but it seemed with the influx of the holidays and plenty of alcohol to go around in celebration, he'd become more brash once again.

"Excuse me?" she said, venomously, eyeing Deron. "Have something to say? Then have the bravery to say it to my face."

Deron laughed and rolled his eyes, the older man taking a sip of his ale. "No, _Sun-Hawk,_ nothing to say."

"That's what I thought," Talanah spat. She didn't have time to deal with him right now. Aloy needed her and he wasn't worth her attention right now. She spun again, hearing sarcastic chuckles as she turned to go. It left her with an overwhelmed feeling. She'd been working so hard to manage the Lodge, assist the Sun-King as needed, and attend to Aloy when asked. She felt like an animal, coiled and ready to strike at anything that dared threaten her family.

As soon as she was a good distance from the Lodge, she broke into a sprint, headed for the Great Elevator. Her leg protested but she paid it no mind--there were more important things than her own pain, she was sure. The elevator couldn’t move fast enough for her and the moment the gilded cage opened, she continued her race through Meridian Village, ignoring the stares of the townspeople wondering what had the Sun-Hawk in such a hurry.

Talanah only felt the slightest relief when their home came into view, knowing nothing would feel better until Aloy was in her arms. It had taken under an hour to return, but the Sun-Hawk still ran straight to the door as if it were a matter of life or death. "Aloy?" she called, but there was no response. She spied the spilled basket of fruit on the floor and instantly her heart leapt into her throat. She stalked into the kitchen and main room, her leg throbbing from her sprint with every step. "Aloy?" she called again, cold fear twisting in her gut. She began to walk more quickly through their home, reaching the hallway. Her heart was pounding, only slowing when she finally opened the door to their bedroom, finding her wife curled around herself. "Aloy, thank the Sun. I was worried. Did you hear me calling?"

GAIA's projection rose from the redhead's side. "I apologize Talanah, I have been trying to keep her calm. The sound from the Focus must have kept her from hearing you. I will let you two talk. Call when you need me. I love you both."

Talanah quickly gave her thanks and the AI's form dissolved, leaving the two of them alone.

Aloy turned and sat up, scooting to sit upright at the edge of their bed. Her cheeks were tear-stained and red and her arms remained tightly hugged around her middle, as if moving them meant exposing their Little Spark to danger.

The Sun-Hawk stepped forward, standing before her wife. She bent and kissed her forehead. "I came as fast as I could. What happened, little Thrush?" she asked.

"They know," Aloy said, her eyes cast down. "Goddess, they know. And they _talk._ "

Talanah's face screwed up into a confused expression. She'd known Aloy's hesitance toward telling others, but why was she _this_ afraid of it? She gave a small loving sigh. "Of course they know. It was bound to happen eventually," she soothed. "You shouldn't be embarrassed. You're more radiant than ever."

"I'm _not_ embarrassed," Aloy said, cheeks burning and eyes still wet. "But they _know_ and if the city knows, our enemies will too."

Talanah opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She wasn't exactly _wrong._ There had been several factions that had caused conflict in the last decade--bandits who had sought to take advantage of Meridian's new influx of people and commerce now that the academy was in full swing--rogue schisms from various tribes like the Utaru that had resented the ever-growing influence and power consolidated in the Sundom. There had been some unrest from the nobles who opposed the liberal rule of the Sun-King, a foreigner for a Savior, and the lost traditionalism of Jiran and the kings before him. And neither could forget the few old-guard objectors who had opposed their marriage--one of the first official same-sex unions in the Sundom--not to mention their objections to a _Carja_ of nobility marrying a _savage Nora._ She understood why Aloy was afraid. With the lives they had lived, and the trauma their family had suffered, it was no wonder her wife was so terrified.

A few moments of silence passed as Talanah considered when Aloy spoke again. "What if we made a mistake?" she said quietly, a low whine escaping her. "What if this was too _selfish_ to want? What if we can't protect her?"

Her words sent a spike of ice through the Sun-Hawk's heart. She placed one hand on the nape of Aloy's neck, the other firmly against her swollen belly. By the Sun, she desperately wished she could feel their daughter. "D-do you really think that?" Talanah asked. Bile rose in her throat, considering her next words, knowing they had to be spoken. "You know...I'd-I'd never want you to go through with it if you...if you can't. There may still be time to..." but she couldn't finish the sentence. She hated this. Hated it. She was so in love with them both, but this was Aloy's choice. Always. And no matter what, she'd respect it. She took a deep breath. "I'd...never force you. If you can't. If you don't want to anymore. Do...you really think she's a _mistake?_ "

Aloy wrapped her arms around Talanah's waist and tilted her head into the Sun-Hawk's middle. "I--no. No, of course I don't," she said, breathing in the scent of her wife and using it to center herself. "But I'm scared. Maybe it's not some rogue sub-function, but you know there are still plenty of people who wish us harm."

Talanah gave a sigh of relief and hugged her close, feeling the rise and fall of Aloy's belly as she breathed. The Sun-Hawk planted a kiss at her hairline. "By the Sun, we didn't make those people our enemies," she said. "They did that themselves. We're not at fault. We'll protect her as best we can. And when we can't? We train her to protect herself."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Our Little Spark already has a great teacher. You've protected her from day one."

Aloy smiled sheepishly against Talanah's shirt before sitting back and wiping at her eyes, sighing. "...You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," the Sun-Hawk assured. "You're not wrong to worry. But you've got me and your mothers and Petra--not to mention Vanasha and Avad himself. Anyone who wants to harm our daughter is going to have to go through all of us."

Aloy gave a soft chuckle before her breath hitched with an _oof._

Talanah's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

The redhead smiled wide. "Nothing. Someone's just excited. I think she likes the sound of your voice."

Her wife beamed, suddenly overcome with joy. "Sun's Light, you think so?"

"I know it."

Talanah bowed her head and Aloy could sense the longing. "Sometimes I wish I could feel what you feel."

"You will soon," the redhead promised, finally feeling more calm. She looked up at her wife with pleading green-gold eyes. "Do you have to go back?"

"Not if I don't want to," Talanah said, smiling as she knelt before Aloy. "Maybe I'd rather keep talking to you both and you can keep telling me how much our Little Spark loves me."

Aloy took Talanah's hand and moved it to where she felt the intense flutters. "Goddess, she's never been this _active,_ " she said. She paused and then, "They're all wondering who the father is, you know."

The Sun-Hawk leaned forward and kissed her belly through her blue tunic, shrugging.

"Let them wonder."

\------

"Here kiddo, take more if you want it," Elisabet offered, happy to host dinner during the holidays. She'd become skilled at cooking Carja dishes over the years, but every once in awhile she conjured up something vaguely Nora for Aloy's sake--doing the best she could with her daughter's instructions, though she couldn't help but add a little Carja spice and flair. Aloy always readily indulged, agreeing that the fusion of tribal cooking was an improvement.

The redhead didn't have to be told twice, adding a little more to her plate and taking a seat near Petra.

"See? Little Spark'll put some meat on your bones yet, Flame-Hair!" the Oseram joked, taking a deep swallow of her ale. Aloy rolled her eyes and softly elbowed her.

"I'm sure I'll never match the _strength_ of an Oseram," she said sarcastically.

"Damn right, girl. Oseram women are built like no other. But I suppose you're a close second," Petra said, giving her a playful wink.

"So where's Talanah?" Elisabet asked, tasting a bite of her food and thinking for a moment before she sprinkled some pepper over it.

"Lodge has her tied up. She'll be here soon," Aloy said, sighing contently at the flavor as she ate. It was better than anything she and Rost had ever made, though it was similar enough to make her think of him fondly.

"During the holidays? I thought she'd be taking it easy with you," Elisabet said.

"She's...trying," Aloy said. "When she can. But there's a guy there who's been riling up everyone, questioning her abilities and she's trying to make a show of her authority to counter it before it boils over."

"That fucker Deron, right?" Elisabet said, and Aloy couldn't help but chuckle at her mother's language.

"Yeah, that's the one. Goddess, he's been a pain in her side."

"He'd better watch it or I'll kick his ass myself," Petra chuckled, pointing with her fork for emphasis. "Fire and spit, you two deserve the time to just relax before that Little Spark comes and shakes things up."

Aloy smirked, happy to let her mother and Petra take turns coming to her defense, the Oseram's threats to Deron's wellbeing increasing in creativity as she downed her ale.

"So, you going to tell me what you're working on?" Aloy asked Elisabet.

"Who, me?"

 _"Mother,"_ Aloy said, raising an eyebrow. "You've been deep in something lately, I can tell, and the academy's not even open right now."

Elisabet merely smirked, tossing a look at Petra. The younger woman glanced between them. "Fine. Keep your secrets. You taught me how to code. I can find whatever it is on the network."

"Maybe I didn't store it on the network," Elisabet taunted, flashing a smile before finishing another bite of her food.

"Aw Lis, don't tease the girl. Flame-Hair, you'll know when we're done," she promised.

"Oh so you're in on it too?"

Petra turned red, saved from having to explain further when Talanah walked in, sighing heavily and looking defeated. "No, don't get up," the Sun-Hawk said, gesturing before any of them could fully rise to greet her. She sat down next to her wife with a huff, slumping in her chair a little.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Talanah said. "Just tired and frustrated. Sun and Shadow, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Here," Petra said, handing over a glass of wine.

The dark-haired woman took the glass readily and drank it in a few large gulps, pouring another in quick succession. Aloy quietly squeezed her wife's hand beneath the table, concern crossing her face.

\------

"Here, I can tell you're sore," Aloy offered, digging strong fingers into the scarred muscle of Talanah's thigh.

The two laid on their shared bed, having returned home later that night. The wood stove crackled enough to emit dim light and heat for the desert winter night. Talanah said nothing but kept her eyes averted, trying hard not to show just how much she needed her wife's touch.

"You can't keep doing this," the redhead said softly.

"Doing what?" Talanah said, snapping her head to face her. "My job? My duty as Sun-Hawk? Whatever my King commands? Whatever my wife needs?"

Aloy shot her a hurt look, face crumpling just a touch.

"I'm sorry," the Sun-Hawk said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that anything you ask is a burden. I'm just..."

"You're stressed," Aloy finished for her. "I understand. Goddess, it's not like I haven't noticed the last couple of weeks. You're constantly trying to tend to me and the baby and handle the politics at the Lodge, but I'm _strong,_ Talanah. You said it yourself. I'm not going to break and you need to let me take care of _you_ a little before you burn so bright there's nothing left but ash."

Talanah tensed, not wanting to admit how close to the bone Aloy's words had cut. She could do this. She could do _all_ of this. It's what was expected. It's what she needed to do. Aloy was already giving her so much. How could she not continue? The dark-haired woman tried her best to shrug it off, instead, taking her wife's hands away from her leg and guiding her until the redhead sat, straddled along her hips. Talanah looked up through hooded eyes at swollen breasts that now filled out her wife's tunic much more than they had a few months prior and smirked.

"What?" Aloy asked, trying to remain upbeat but still deeply concerned that Talanah hadn't truly opened up to her.

"I can think of a few ways you can take care of me."

"Oh?" the redhead said, raising an eyebrow.

The Sun-Hawk gently lifted off the layers of Aloy's top, biting her lip as she took in the sight of slow building beautiful fullness she'd never had before. This was better than digging deep into her worries at the Lodge, at being a parent, or over protecting her wife and child. The redhead leaned down to kiss her and Talanah began encouraging her to roll her hips, hands and mouth roaming over every swell and curve.

This was all she needed, surely. Just some _relief._

She'd be _fine._

She had to be.

\------

Elisabet's face was grim, sitting on the edge of her bed, GAIA next to her while Petra was upstairs tinkering away at their shared project. She'd barely been able to pull the Oseram away and between the two of them, they were working on it practically every moment they had free. The AI had just finished filling the woman in on the situation from a few days prior once her worries had been stoked by Talanah's behavior at dinner earlier that night. She'd demanded the details and GAIA had acquiesced, though sparing the parts of the conversation Aloy hadn't allowed her to store in memory.

"I don't like this," the redhead admitted. "Makes me worry about them."

"I agree Elisabet, but they must navigate this themselves--just as we did," GAIA said, her translucent hand resting on the woman's thigh. "Our daughter is right to have her concerns and while I do not enjoy watching Talanah stress and suffer in silence, this new chapter in their lives can only be learned, not taught."

"I know, I know," Elisabet admitted. "We didn't know how to be mothers either."

"But we have done quite the job," GAIA said, flashing a bright smile, her hand sliding slowly upward.

Elisabet's cheeks reddened. This was part of a practiced act, a digital dance between herself and a woman who was both there and not. It had been strange at first but had long since become commonplace, both unable to deny enjoying what they had. She went to move when she noticed a small frown had overtaken the AI's face.

"What's wrong?"

"It does not occur often, but there are times I find my form _limiting_ to you and Aloy. I wished so badly to hold her close and reassure her. I wish I could touch you now--not just as a simulation."

Elisabet blushed deeper and she hoped she'd been able to keep some semblance of a poker face after all these years. "I've never felt cheated by what we have. Neither does she."

GAIA nodded. "I have...begun to wonder if the little one will be able to comprehend me at all. I suspect not, according to ELEUTHIA's knowledge regarding object permanence and developmental milestones. Not for a few years, at least. I admit, this saddens me."

Elisabet was surprised. This was the first time GAIA had actually voiced the concern this directly after all these years. Elisabet swallowed thickly, unwilling to make any promises at just that moment, though she wished she could offer it. "It'll work out, GAIA. I know it will."

The AI looked at her with hopeful eyes that might have belied her deeper understanding of the words. "In you, all things are possible," she said, leaning in toward the redhead. The woman made of light appeared to kiss at her throat, and Elisabet could _hear_ the low heat of her words in her Focus. "I have missed you. You have been staying off of my network more often lately."

Elisabet opened her mouth to speak, but GAIA stopped her with a gesture. "You do not need to explain. I trust you implicitly. You must have your reasons."

"I've missed you too."

The light of the small electric lamp in the room was low and warm and the older woman found herself falling back into familiar moves with the AI--ones they hadn't performed in a few months but were so well rehearsed it was as if the hologram had her own weight and touch.

GAIA smirked and moved faster as Elisabet's pulse picked up, detecting every beat instantaneously, her typical green dress nowhere to be seen. "I love you," the redhead said.

All she heard in return were breathy gasps in her Focus, her name called like a prayer.

\------

The city continued to celebrate as one week rolled into the next, the citizens' revelry reaching a fever pitch of alcohol and food, dancing and music. Talanah had tried to maintain a better mood, if for no other reason than to avoid adding stress and worry Aloy didn't deserve. She'd been at the Lodge daily, despite the lack of hunts and other activities during the holidays--most Hawks and Thrushes were simply taking advantage of the Lodge's food and drink at this time of year. Still, she _needed_ to be there, needed to make a show of being, at all times, a _leader_. A _Sun-Hawk_ above all else: above being a person. Above being a wife. Above being a _mother._ She'd fought so hard for women's increased presence there, how would it look if she proved all of Deron's criticisms _right?_

She sat upstairs at a quiet table, filling out leather-bound books with various end-of-year summaries and recordings for the city, her hand beginning to cramp after hours of writing out Carja glyphs. Her ale sat at the table, practically untouched. She'd lost track of how long she'd been there until two arms snaked their way around her shoulders, hugging her tightly and familiar lips kissed at her cheek.

"I think you've done enough for today," Aloy said gently.

Talanah breathed in the warm spice of her scent and looked up, realizing how the sun had dipped below the horizon. She sighed. "Sorry little Thrush. Lost track of time. What are you doing here?"

"I figured I'd rescue my wife from her duties while the _rest_ of the city is celebrating. Besides, I'd had enough of coding practice. I can practically see it in my sleep, and it's not like I can hunt right now, as much as I wish I could."

"I'm just about finished, want to sit with me for a few minutes?"

Aloy shot her a smile and obliged. She sat across from her wife who was bent over her work, brow furrowed in concentration. The redhead shrugged into her seat comfortably, somewhat glad her secret was out now that it meant she wasn't constantly layering herself and trying to blend into a corner to remain unnoticed. It was freeing in a way and for once, instead of trying to hide her reaction in public, she was content to let herself enjoy the subtle movements and kicks as they came. Her palm rubbed small circles into her middle and Talanah looked up to catch the sight when Aloy wasn't looking. She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and reached out, offering her hand which Aloy took gladly, guiding it to the right spot and holding it there. Talanah waited several moments to feel something, _anything,_ before hanging her head in defeat.

The redhead brought her hand up, kissing at her knuckles. "It'll happen soon. I promise."

Talanah offered a sad grimace before nodding and finally closing the book and dropping her pen. "I feel like I didn't even see the Sun today," she said, miserably.

Aloy scooted closer to her, keeping their fingers intertwined. "Maybe take the last few days of the holiday to spend at home and get outside. I think you could use it."

Talanah groaned. "You know why I've been here. If I don't maintain order, I could lose everything."

"The Lodge isn't _everything,_ Talanah," Aloy said, pointedly. "Why don't you just kick him and his friends out?"

The Sun-Hawk sighed. "Without _real_ charges, it'll just look like I'm being insecure and that will do nothing but bolster the opinions of any others tempted to dissent. Why don't you head downstairs? I'll put this away and then we can go home."

Aloy nodded and headed down the staircase, while Talanah returned the ledger to its place among the Lodge's other records. She could hear the crowd below becoming rowdier; it had been the same way for the last week or so, the hunters becoming more and more exuberant and drunk as the night wore on. She snickered. Maybe Aloy was right. She _should_ take the next few days just for them. Just for family. She had bigger priorities now. And while Aloy would never beg for it, she knew her wife wanted her close whenever they could be.

She spun on her heel, grabbing her things and headed down the stairs, eyes alight with renewed energy. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Talanah kissed the redhead and slung her arm casually around her waist. They walked toward the door, through the large area of tables. Music, laughter, and the scent of ale filled the Lodge. They had only made it a few steps when she heard it:

"And she calls herself a _Carja._ It was bad enough we had a woman leading us but now she goes and parades around her _perversion_ like it doesn't spit in the face of the Sun-God himself."

Talanah froze, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Her arm tensed around Aloy and the pair turned, only to find Deron and two of his cohorts sitting in a booth together, clearly drunk. The older man took another swig while idly playing with his hunting knife, his friends grinning.

"Oh look, _now_ she suddenly cares about her reputation."

"You have something to say? Say it," Talanah growled. "I'm sick of playing this game, Deron. I am your Sun-Hawk and you _will_ respect the authority I've earned here or you can leave."

"Leave?" he spat. "There's only one of us that doesn't belong here, and that's you," he said, beginning to stand, his two friends remaining seated but clearly goading him on.

Talanah squeezed Aloy's hand before letting go. She had to do this. "I've been Sun-Hawk for ten years, Deron, and now in the last few months you decide you hate me. Why?"

"Having a woman in charge was never what I wanted," he slurred, continuing to idly spin his knife in his hand.

"The Sun-King sanctioned it," Talanah countered.

"And he was _wrong!_ But I figured if Ahsis was stupid enough to get himself killed, maybe he deserved it. Maybe I could have been fine with it--eventually, but you--you just had to go and keep shoving your _sick_ lifestyle in our faces." He ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair before stroking at his beard. "It was bad enough to have some woman lead us, but then you go and violate every law the Sun-Priests have a name for. You, a Carja of _nobility_ turned your back on the old ways. You married a _savage_ and a woman at that! You turned your back on us. If Talavad and Bratavin could see you now, they'd be _ashamed._ "

Talanah was shaking in anger at the mention of her father and brother--sacrificed in the Sun-Ring so many years ago. "The Sun-King's rule is law and he sanctioned that too," she said, trying to remain calm. "And even if he hadn't, loving her isn't wrong."

Aloy's heart began to hammer in her chest. She'd been in enough fights to know when someone was spoiling for one and she could feel the atmosphere in the room change. The music had stopped and the other hunters had begun to form a crowd around them. Jal stood at the edge of the makeshift ring, the dark-skinned man clearly ready to offer backup if needed but willing to let Talanah see it through herself. Aloy's hands balled into fists. If it had been any other time in her life, she would have already struck the man down herself.

"Avad is weak willed and we all know it. He bends to whatever you and the savage want. Everything he has done in the name of the Sun has been blasphemy. The Shadow Carja knew it then and it's still true now," he said. "But that's not the worst of your shadow in the face of the Sun's radiance."

"Oh?" Talanah asked, feigning boredom. "And what's that?"

Deron stepped forward, the heels of his boots echoing on the wooden floor as the entire Lodge had gone silent. "You left us for _months_ all so you could defile yourself in the eyes of the Sun even further. Did you really think you were hiding anything with your little tunic, _Savior?_ " he said, eyes boring into Aloy. "It was clear what you'd done. Going to the Sacred Land to find some Sun-Godless heathen willing to let you _pretend_ you have a real marriage?"

His grip on his knife tightened, no longer playing, the look in his eyes hardening.

"And what is it you think we did?"

"Isn't it obvious? You found some _savage_ willing to pump her full of bastard seed. I bet the whore _liked_ it. And then you let some abomination take root in her all so you can keep playing house. It's sickening."

Aloy's face hardened and she felt her stomach drop. She'd never faced discrimination of this kind in Meridian before--but if he'd said it out loud she was certain he wasn't the only one to have ever felt this way. She planted her feet, ready to defend herself if she had to, her arms curling around her middle. He would die before he attempted to harm her or her daughter.

"Do not listen to him child, you know the truth. You _know_ nothing about the little one is wrong. He is trying to get others to join his cause, and to unnerve you," GAIA said, her tone indicating that she was just as furious as Aloy was.

Talanah instantly stepped forward, putting her body between Aloy and Deron, unwilling to take any chances.

"In fact," he said, swaggering toward her and pointing his knife in Aloy's direction, "if I were to do my _duty_ to the Sun, I'd cut that filth you call a child straight from her belly before she dares birth it on Carja soil."

The Sun-Hawk's vision tunneled and went red at his words, vile and full of hate.

He had threatened her _wife._

He had threatened her _daughter._

Before anyone else could move, Talanah swung her arm out and grabbed for Deron's wrist, yanking the knife away and sending it skittering to the ground. He kicked out his leg, aware of the Sun-Hawk's weak spot and jammed the heel of his boot straight into her thigh, causing her to double over in pain, a scream ripping from her throat. He swung his other arm out, his fist catching her in the jaw before she landed a blow to his gut, sending him backpedaling against the table his friends still sat at.

"Keep a safe distance, Aloy, do not engage," GAIA whispered in her ear.

Every nerve in Aloy's body was on fire, her leg jerked, moving toward Talanah. There was no way she wasn't going to defend her wife, but she caught the dark-haired woman's eyes, Talanah silently mouthing the word "no".

She scrambled for the nearest wall, ripping off an old spear that had been mounted for its role in taking down a stormbird. Deron lunged at her and she dodged, whipping the spear around until the blunt end caught his heel, sending the drunken man flying parallel to the ground before landing on it with a loud _thud._ Talanah aimed the blade millimeters from his throat and he looked up at her from the ground, eyes full of fear and face flushed with alcohol.

The Sun-Hawk glared at him with righteous fury, blood dripping from her lips. "You threatened the lives of _my wife_ and _my child,_ Deron. Not only is that more than enough to dismiss you from the Lodge, but I'm willing to bet Warden Janeva would love to have you at Sunstone Rock for a few months and he will be _far_ less kind than I've been." She looked up at Deron's friends and at the gathering of hunters surrounding her. "I am your _Sun-Hawk,_ " she said loudly and with authority. "Myself and my Thrush defeated Redmaw, and I earned the privilege of this position. Tonight, I have defended not only my honor but that of my brother, Bratavin, my father, Talavad Khane Padish, the former Sun-Hawk, my wife and child as well. Are there any remaining _objectors_ who would seek to challenge me?"

A resounding _"No, Sun-Hawk,"_ rose from the crowd, and Deron's friends sheepishly buried their faces and cast their eyes down.

"Good. Jal, take him to a cell. Inform the guards and the Sun-King of what happened here."

Jal grinned. "Yes, _ma'am,_ " he chuckled, moving toward her.

Talanah still hadn't moved the blade of the spear away from Deron's throat and she could see a bead of sweat trail down his face. "And if _you_ ever _fuck_ with me or my family again, I swear by the Sun, I won't still my blade next time."

He nodded and Jal yanked him up forcefully. "I'm taking the rest of the holiday off," Talanah said, tossing the spear to the ground with disdain. "Jal, you got this for a couple days?"

"It would be an honor, Sun-Hawk."

"Good," she said, turning and grabbing Aloy's hand, walking tall and proud without the slightest limp. "We're done here."

\------

The pair rounded a corner, quickly leaving the Lodge behind them in the dark of night. As soon as they were out of sight, Talanah's leg gave out beneath her, pain radiating out from the injured limb, the muscle cramping tightly as she collapsed to the ground. She spat blood onto the street and it dripped thickly from her teeth and bottom lip.

"Talanah!" Aloy said. "Goddess, no," she breathed.

"Put on a good show, didn't I?" Talanah said ruefully. "Couldn't let them see me hobble out of there, not after what happened." She hissed and inhaled sharply, feeling a pain in her thigh so deep and overwhelming the wound might as well have been nearly fresh after all these years.

"That bad?" Aloy asked, kneeling at her side.

"It's fine, what matters is that you and our Little Spark are okay."

"Talanah, stop! Stop. You're _hurt_ and that _does_ matter."

The dark-haired woman averted her eyes. "Can you walk?" Aloy asked.

Talanah attempted to stand before painfully collapsing again, a moan ripping from her chest before Aloy caught her by the waist. "No, no, I've got you. It's okay. Here, let me help you. Home's too far, we'll go to Mother's place," the redhead said, pulling her wife's arm over her shoulder, and grabbing her tightly around her middle while beginning to stand, taking the weight off of Talanah's leg.

"You shouldn't be doing this, I can't risk you or her getting hurt," the Sun-Hawk began, crimson running down her chin.

Aloy gave her a sharp look. "Am I weak, Talanah?" she asked suddenly. The Sun-Hawk gave her a shocked expression. "Well, am I? Because you're acting like I am. I'm not an invalid. This isn't an injury. _You_ told me I was strong, or was that a lie?"

"It's never a lie," Talanah admitted, hanging her head and watching as small droplets fell to the cobblestones. "You're the strongest person I know."

"Then don't treat me like I'm weak. I'm not stupid. When you told me not to interfere in the fight, I didn't. It was the right move. But this? Helping you home? This I can do. So let me do it."

"I just don't want you or her to get hurt," Talanah said, her eyes welling up. "That's all I've ever wanted."

Aloy's tone softened as she stood fully, encouraging the Sun-Hawk to lean her weight into her. "I know, but you have to stop acting like you're doing this all on your own. I'm in it with you. I'm not made of glass. I'm not that fragile and neither is our daughter. So stop this. It's over. Let me really, actually take care of _you_ for once. Okay?"

Talanah nodded silently, leaning into Aloy's shoulder as her wife dragged her back to Elisabet and Petra's apartment. Their progress was slow but luckily they weren't far, her thigh throbbing with every movement. They knocked on the door and it opened quickly, Petra's face taking on a look of horror.

"Fire and spit, get in here--what happened?" the Oseram exclaimed. She instantly took Talanah from Aloy's arms, half-carrying her into the living room and laying her across the couch. The Carja woman groaned at the motion and suddenly GAIA was in all of their ears explaining to Petra what had occurred.

"He did _what?_ " Petra gasped. "I'll kill him myself."

"I would be lying if I said I did not also wish him harm in that moment, but the girls need our care more than our vengeance," the AI said with a rueful laugh. "I will call Elisabet."

"Just leave her a message. She's off the network again in her study at the academy. She'll just have to come home when she gets it. I can tend to the girls," Petra said, quickly wetting a cloth and applying it to Talanah's mouth, dabbing at the blood.

"Flame-Hair, you okay?"

"He didn't lay a hand on me," the redhead confirmed.

"He got your leg too?" Petra asked gently. Talanah muttered in the affirmative and breathed deep, still trying to hold off the worst of the pain. "Cold-forged bastard," the Oseram swore. "Hold on girl, I'll get you something for it."

She quickly returned with a vial of liquid hintergold. "This is the strong stuff Lis takes when she can't sleep--the bad memories and all, you know how she...well, you know. You'll feel better but it'll knock you out pretty easily. You're both staying here tonight, no arguing."

"Thanks Petra," Aloy said, reaching for her. "You're really good at this, you know."

The Oseram shrugged and hugged her tightly. "I have to be if that Little Spark ends up like either of you. Come on now, let's get her upstairs."

Petra proceeded to help Talanah up to the spare bedroom, the younger woman grimacing with every step. The Carja sighed with relief as she finally hit the bed, Aloy following after them.

"Here's the hintergold," Petra said, tossing the vial to Aloy. "Help her get those pants off before it's too painful to do; I'll come back with a chillwater compress."

Aloy helped Talanah strip off the Carja leggings, tilting the vial of medicine to her wife's lips. She took it gratefully, laying back on the bed, dressed now in only a loose long sleep shirt Aloy had pulled from a nearby drawer.

Petra returned, bringing with her a thick gauze that was frosty to the touch. She handed it to Aloy who placed it gingerly along her wife's leg, causing the woman to shudder with the cold she hated so much.

"Thanks, Petra," the Carja said.

Petra waived it off with a smile. "Of course. And I _don't_ want you up and walking around right now. You need something, you ask," she said, doing her best to sound authoritative. "Lis might be home late but I'll tell her to let you both sleep. GAIA and I will get her caught up. You're both welcome to stay as long as you want--we've still got a few days left of celebrations. Steel to my bones, you know we can't resist the opportunity to spoil you two."

"You're the best," Aloy said gratefully.

Petra strode over and patted Talanah's shoulder gently. "Don't get up early, either of you. You've had a rough night. Lis seems to think she can out-cook me but I'm determined to prove her wrong tomorrow morning," she said with some sass before turning back toward the stairs. "Sleep well. I'm glad all _three_ of you are safe."

Talanah's body had visibly relaxed. She looked healthier now that she wasn't covered in blood and barely able to stand, Aloy thought. The hintergold was would hit fast, and she could already detect the first soft blinks of sleep. The redhead quickly changed, pulling another long sleep shirt from the drawer and exchanging her daytime clothes for it before she softly padded down the stairs, assuring the Sun-Hawk she'd return soon.

She readied for sleep and splashed her face in the bathroom sink downstairs before looking at herself in the mirror and finding the remaining worry in her eyes. Most of what Deron had said had just been _wrong._ Misinformed and presumptive. But the feelings behind it weren't and she knew it. She had so much support in Meridian, but still it seemed there were some holdouts, those who would always hate her and her wife for the lives they lead.

The redhead exited and found Petra on the couch, some tea in hand. She patted the seat next to her, inviting Aloy to stay for a moment.

"GAIA told me what he said. Gave me the recording, actually," Petra said softly, taking a long sip. The liquid smelled vaguely of chamomile. "I am so sorry you had to hear that."

Aloy frowned. "It's not like I didn't grow up with plenty of rumors about myself as an outcast," she said, shrugging. "You learn to have a thick skin. He spoke out of fear."

"We both know that, Flame-Hair. But men _like him_ always lash out when confronted by women whose lives and bodies they can't control. Hammer to steel I saw enough of it in the Claim. Why do you think I left?"

Aloy screwed up her face into confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You deserve to hear that nothing you've done is wrong. Marrying Talanah? Little Spark? Nothing you did or the way you did it is wrong, or disgusting or whatever he wanted to call it. We all know Carja nobility and their old traditions aren't worth their weight in scrap. Steel to my bones, if your mother and I had met ten years earlier we probably would have made it official too." She took Aloy's hand and squeezed it.

"When did you get so wise?" Aloy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, me? Full of wisdom. Always have been. How else do you think I manage to keep up with your mother?" Petra laughed.

The redhead smiled wide. "You are going to be _such_ a good grandmother."

"Well of course. I'm aiming to be the _favorite._ Now go on, get upstairs before Talanah's out for the night." the Oseram said, shooing her away.

Aloy padded back up to the bedroom, finding Talanah's eyes half-closed. She turned the off the lamp and slid into bed next to her. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?" she said softly, removing the chillwater compress.

"You know I'd do anything for you," Talanah replied, speech softening with sleep.

"What I want," Aloy began, kissing her gently, careful not to hurt her lip, "is for you to rest and heal. Can you do that? Goddess knows you've earned it."

"I can do that."

Aloy rolled to her right side and Talanah followed suit, curling protectively around her wife. The Sun-Hawk threaded her hand up her wife's shirt, her palm resting comfortably on the roundness beneath.

"Are you still upset that you can't feel her yet?" Aloy asked quietly.

"No," Talanah said, kissing her shoulder. "She can take her time."

\------

What was that?

Talanah's eyes flickered open to find Aloy in the same position they'd fallen asleep in, the two of them too tired to even move. Her shoulders rose and fell softly with each breath, her red hair splayed over the pillow.

She felt it again.

Something small but forceful bumped against her hand.

She held her breath, hoping it was what she thought, waiting for it to happen again.

There.

Talanah pressed her palm ever so slightly harder with more pressure against Aloy's skin, feeling movement again in return.

Suddenly Aloy's arm rose, placing her own hand over Talanah's, keeping it firm against her belly.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," Aloy said with a sleepy smile. "She did."

"I _felt_ her," Talanah said, swallowing hard against the lump forming in her throat.

"Mmhmm," Aloy agreed with tired satisfaction. She rolled to her left, twining her legs through Talanah's and throwing her arm around her wife's middle, pulling them close until she had her ear against the Sun-Hawk's chest.

"What are you doing?" Talanah asked gently.

"I'm going to take Petra up on her offer to sleep in and you know it's easier for me when I can _listen_ to someone. Besides, you said once you wanted to feel what I feel."

Aloy adjusted, her belly fitting snugly against Talanah's own toned middle. She listened to the steady _thud_ in her wife's ribs, letting it lull her back to sleep, her breaths becoming longer and deeper as the minutes passed. Talanah waited after it had become clear that Aloy had fallen back asleep, hoping to feel something more. After awhile she, too, closed her eyes, ready to let sleep take her again.

Finally, small kicks hit her repeatedly, Aloy's skin against her own, and Talanah's breath hitched to feel it.

She kissed the top of her wife's head and stayed as still as she could, not wanting to miss a single flutter, not thinking about the Lodge, or about the future, or about the dozens of other things that had plagued her mind lately. She made no effort to move.

Talanah Khane Padish was exactly where she wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All ya'll, you need to tell me what you want: 
> 
> I was originally going to end this at five chapters, and we were not going to see this kid born, we were just gonna get some hopeful optimism for the future ending. But if you want to actually see our gals take care of this Little Spark a bit, holler and let me know and I'll give you one more chapter for a total of six.
> 
> Because I'm a sucker.
> 
> Also: more smut next chapter


	4. Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a hybrid chapter. There will be some good plot stuff, but also NSFW parts. There's going to be enough in here that I don't want to rob anyone of the experience by only giving you a brief summary at the bottom so what I'll do is add a warning to the segment where the good stuff goes down so that if it isn't your jam, you can skip it. There is SFW content before and after it.

**JANUARY**

"Something came for you," Talanah said, walking into their home with a package under her arm. "A courier brought it to the Lodge." 

Aloy took the parcel, kissing her wife on the cheek. "Not staying late?" 

The Sun-Hawk flashed her a smile. "I worked things out with Jal and Rahman. My days are shorter from here on out, for as long as we need. I'm yours. Besides, after Deron ended up with a blade at his throat, I don't think anyone's eager to tempt to me to repeat my performance. The rest of the hunters respect us both enough to give us this much."

The redhead blushed, grateful for the changes Talanah had made for her and their Little Spark. "So what is this?" she asked, placing the item on their kitchen table.

"I was hoping you could tell me. The symbols look Nora; I know there isn't a real written language like our glyphs. What does it mean?" she inquired, pointing at the blue shapes on the exterior.

Aloy examined closely. "They're Mother's Marks. You've seen them. The blue paint most wear? It identifies a family line. These look like... _oh._ "

"Good 'oh' I hope?"

Her wife nodded, a tentative eagerness spilling over her face. "Looks like something from Teb, Sona, and Varl," Aloy said, beginning to tear into the paper and twine packaging. When she opened it, her lips parted, eyes suddenly tearing up while she swallowed hard and attempted to maintain control. Inside were several small, stitched outfits of slowly increasing sizes obviously meant for a child. Teb's handiwork and delicate designs were obvious. The tiny clothing made of leather, fur, and lighter woven fabrics featured accents of red and blue in traditional Nora fashion. She set them aside, wiping at her eyes and found a tiny bow and quiver of arrows similar to the one Rost had first given her, the arc of the weapon carved more intricately than any child's training weapon deserved. It bore the insignia of the Matriarchs, and of the War Chief--Sona and Varl respectively.

Talanah inspected the gifts, quickly understanding what came from whom. Aloy looked up at her with a tempestuous expression, so many different feelings roiling in her ribs. "They...acknowledge her," she said, a far away look in her eyes. "These are traditional gifts for a newborn, given to ease the burden of the parents who are already doing so much. A way to welcome them as a Nora." 

Her wife squeezed her shoulder, understanding just how conflicted it must have made Aloy feel. To have their daughter accepted when she had not. "Is this what you want?" Talanah asked softly.

"I...I don't know," Aloy admitted, biting her lip. "It's so much better than it was. But after what the tribe did to me...I don't know if I want them to have any claim to her."

"Her mothers are Carja and _despite_ the Nora," the Sun-Hawk said, winking. "Her grandmothers are Oseram, machine, and an Old One. Who's to say she can't be a little of everything? Besides, Varl, Sona, and Teb care about you. It's coming from a good place. They're _trying._ "

Aloy nodded silently and Talanah didn't dare push further. This was a wound that would never heal. Not completely, anyway.

"I'm going to go work on her room for awhile," the redhead said blankly.

"Do you want some help?" the Sun-Hawk asked, her brows knitting in concern.

"No," Aloy insisted. "I think I just want some time to think about...all of this. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. By the Sun, I know it's complicated. Just...know that I'm here, okay?"

Aloy nodded, wrapping her arms around her wife, the now-prominent swell of her belly pressed between them. Talanah kissed her forehead, trying to will away the other woman's weariness, but she knew she could never erase her past. The Carja ran her hand gently up her wife's shirt on her right side, eager for every movement beneath Aloy's skin. Her fingertips brushed over the familiar thick lines that ran across her side, causing the redhead to wince. 

She quickly jerked her hand away. "Did I hurt you?" Talanah asked, eyes wide and worried.

"No," Aloy began, bringing Talanah's hand back with her own, keeping it pressed firm. She closed her eyes, tilting her head into the Sun-Hawk's embrace, silent for a few moments while they both felt small kicks. "The scars hurt where they're stretching." 

"How long?"

"Weeks."

Talanah frowned. Aloy opened her eyes with a soft sigh and backed away, fixing her shirt and scooping up the contents of the package into her arms as she turned to walk down the hall.

For all the scars her wife's body bore, the worst was the one nobody could see.

\------

Aloy retreated to the back room--once a spare for odds and ends and the occasional night a guest stayed over--now slowly transforming into a nursery. She placed the Nora items on the floor in the corner, unsure if she wanted to keep them. The room was nearly half complete, a soft seat and cushions adorned one corner, nest-like and comforting. Aloy paused to consider how many hours she would sit in that very spot, tending to their daughter in the middle of the night. Other items littered the floor, including half assembled parts for a small crib they had purchased from a merchant— one that Petra had assured them had the finest woodworking skills.

She busied herself attaching pieces and screwing things together with the toolkit they'd borrowed from the Oseram. It was good to work with her hands, distracting. It kept her from dwelling on the Nora gifts. But still, as she worked, crouched over the pieces, she had to consider.

Was her daughter _Nora?_

Were they both?

She'd spent so much of her life distancing herself from them. So much of her life ignoring the pain a life spent outcast had caused. But hadn't she given her own mother Nora beads for each of the milestones in her life? Didn't she still wear them in her own hair? 

Isn't it what Rost would want?

She paused, a shudder passing through her shoulders.

_Rost._

Wasn't their Little Spark his granddaughter too? He deserved that much. And she knew deep in her bones how proud he had been to be Nora. How desperately he had hoped she would become part of the tribe. And while she hadn't exactly done so in the way he would have wanted, she had honored his request to help and protect them, even now in her role as liaison she watched out for their interests when she could. 

_“I never said the tribe wouldn't need you.”_

His voice still echoed in her head, even now, even after all these years without him. She frowned momentarily. What would he think of all this? Of her true origins? Of GAIA? Of the remnants of the Metal World inherent in her own daughter's conception?

Maybe it didn't matter. She'd never find out anyway. Rost had always encouraged belief. Faith. And wasn't the hope that he would have accepted her and her daughter despite it all a form of faith, anyway? Certainly not the kind he would have imagined, but had tried to instill in Aloy all the same.

Her nimble fingers fiddled with the slats and joints, making sure everything locked properly. She lost herself in the work, piece by piece, working slowly and thoroughly. She snapped another piece together, pausing as a particularly strong kick took her by surprise, her palm reflexively rubbing her right side, where the scarred flesh ached with the stretch of her daughter's movement.

"It's all for you," she murmured, pausing quietly. "I'm doing my best, you know. But I just...there's so much I'm trying to protect you from."

Another, subtler movement caused a small smile to form on her lips. 

"When you're old enough to understand who he was and what he meant to me, I'll tell you about your grandfather," Aloy said softly. She twisted some of the beads in her hair, fingers lingering over her oldest bead, one Rost had given her when she was a child. 

The little one continued to move beneath her palm. For all the death she had endured, for all the pain and blood she'd wrought with her own two hands, she was glad for every time she was reminded she was capable of _life,_ whether it was their daughter, or loving Talanah, or having revived her mother.

She glanced back to the little pile of Nora gifts. 

Didn't her Little Spark deserve to know about the lands her mother hailed from? Didn't she deserve to know the Nora for Rost's sake? She was the granddaughter of the All-Mother herself, at the very least. Surely, she expected Talanah to teach her Carja traditions, Petra to pass on her Oseram know-how, and for her own mother to teach her of the old world. 

She had spent so much of her life wondering who she was, her origins shrouded in lies and mystery. It seemed wrong to deny her daughter the fullness of her existence.

Aloy turned and grabbed the tiny clothes from the pile, putting them in a drawer. The bow and quiver were placed on a high shelf, waiting for the day they would be used. 

It was a start.

\------

Talanah sat in their living room on a cushion, reading through information on her Focus that GAIA had translated from the writing of the Old Ones into Carja glyphs for her. She sifted through the various digital books, all lessons on how to take care of the little one. The Sun-Hawk was prepared to do this as best as she could, but she'd been nervous--her family all long dead. Her mother had passed when she was a child and her father and brother in the Sun-Ring in her late teens. There was no one to learn from. No one to ask the questions so often exchanged between parents and children. And so when she'd approached GAIA on the matter, the woman made of light had been more than happy to provide ELEUTHIA's wealth of knowledge.

An hour passed, and then nearly two when the dark-haired woman decided to cease her reading for the evening. Aloy was still in seclusion in the nursery and it was clear she was struggling. Talanah padded down the hallway, down into the bathroom. It was the one area of their home they had truly allowed to be overly extravagant. The red stone of the walls made way to polished wood flooring. The Sun-Hawk bent near the deep tub--one they'd had constructed deep and wide built into the floor, in the style of the Meridian bathhouses. Normally Aloy would have rebuked such an indulgence, but even she had agreed--their bodies both broken enough that long, hot soaks were too pleasing to pass up. 

Talanah ran the water, a blaze-powered heating element ensuring the liquid came out steaming and hot to the touch. She reached into a cabinet for a few bottles of oils, adding a small vial to the tub as it filled before rummaging through for a few more items, setting out several large candles and some incense and lighting them all with a match. 

When she'd finished her set up, the Sun-Hawk slipped across the hall to the nursery, knocking lightly at the door.

"Little Thrush?"

A beat passed and then, "Come in."

Talanah entered to find Aloy slowly standing up, a hand at her lower back as she groaned softly. The Carja took a quick step, instantly pressing a warm palm into the knotted muscle, causing the redhead to melt into her touch. Talanah took a look around to find the crib completed, the bow and quiver placed up high where little arms couldn't reach. Many of the items that had covered the floor were now in place and it seemed the redhead's desire to keep herself occupied had paid off: cushions and blankets in the right places, a few decorations on the wall, a colorful rug placed in the center of the floor.

"It looks great," Talanah said, kissing the side of her head.

"Thanks," Aloy blushed, her hand still rubbing at her right side while her wife pressed into her back.

"You put up the bow," the Sun-Hawk noted.

"I did," Aloy said, not offering further explanation. 

"I can't wait to teach her how to use it," Talanah mused, kissing her again, hoping it conveyed her understanding. "You did such a great job in here."

The redhead nodded, leaning her head into her wife's shoulder and mewling quietly at the sensation of the Carja's fingertips pressing into her back.

"Come on," the dark-haired woman said, "you're sore."

"I'm always sore."

The Sun-Hawk led her by the hand out of the nursery, closing the door behind them. She guided Aloy to the bathroom, and the redhead's breath hitched at the sight of what Talanah had prepared. The space glowed with candlelight, the air thick and warm with incense and steam. 

Aloy gazed at the deep tub longingly. Even with it readily available, she only sparingly allowed herself the time to luxuriate like this, often opting to bathe quickly and without fanfare. Now, however, she could practically feel the whimper building in her throat at the sight. Talanah turned off the water, before standing back up to gently lift Aloy's shirt. 

The redhead stayed still while her wife slowly and lovingly undressed her, refusing to allow Aloy to do so herself. The pads of Talanah's fingers traced her skin, peppering her with kisses as she removed each article of clothing. Before long, they each stood nude and the Sun-Hawk's honey-brown eyes roved over the curves and swells of the redhead's body, she felt a familiar spark of heat low and deep.

"Here," she said, offering her hand chivalrously. Aloy took it and gingerly stepped down into the hot water, skin tingling with the heat. Talanah followed after and sat behind her, the water lapping just below their collarbones. The Sun-Hawk kissed along Aloy's throat and began to nimbly untie the redhead's braids. One by one she separated the strands while her wife closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. Unbraiding her hair didn't take long after so many years of practice--not like the first time she'd attempted it and had taken an embarrassingly long time. Finally, Aloy's hair was free save for the smaller braids near the sides of her head that bore her beads. She'd learned long ago that those were for no one but her own wife's hands to remove--the sacred nature of her beads not to be taken lightly.

The redhead untied the smaller strands herself, carefully taking each bead in hand and placing them in a nearby dish. When her hair was completely loose, Aloy arched her back and dipped her fiery mane into the water, scrubbing her fingers through before sitting back up. Talanah reached for a bottle of oil--one with the herbal scent Aloy favored and poured some into her hands, gently raking her fingers through the strands of red, massaging close to her scalp where the braids had been tight. 

The redhead hummed with delight. It was so rare that she let her hair flow loosely and Talanah was working her hands through with an intent Aloy was well aware of. 

Small, soft sounds of enjoyment escaped her throat, urging her wife to continue.

\------  
(NSFW)

Talanah's strong hands slowly left her hair, working down to her shoulders and the muscles of her back. 

"Where does it hurt?" the dark-haired woman asked.

"These days? A little bit of everywhere," Aloy answered, her eyes still closed but with a wry smile on her face. 

"You should tell me these things," Talanah insisted, working lower, fingers finding knots and tight sinew.

"You've seen me nearly die a few times. This is nothing."

"Hey," Talanah said, stopping and twisting Aloy's shoulders until the redhead faced her, her skin flushed from the heat of the water. "We agreed to take care of each other, right? No one's doing this alone."

Aloy opened her mouth to protest but Talanah kissed her slowly on the lips, silencing the words before she could even get them out. She turned Aloy back around and continued her work until finally hitting the small of her back, the press of her fingers causing the redhead to moan with satisfaction.

"There it is," Talanah said with a grin.

She pressed hard, refusing to move until she felt Aloy melt into her, the redhead's back hitting her chest. 

"Goddess, that felt good," Aloy admitted. 

"Well I don't have to stop," the Sun-Hawk said, adding oil to her palm and guiding her right hand back under the water to gently rub along the painful stretch of scars on Aloy's right side. Her left hand worked to the redhead's chest, palming at her breasts with gentle squeezes. 

_"Oh,"_ Aloy groaned.

"Still hurting?"

"They've been hurting since the day we found out. I don't think that's going away anytime soon."

"I can make it feel better," Talanah said, low and full of want.

"Please," Aloy begged, arcing forward for more contact. 

The Sun-Hawk continued to knead at her breasts before settling to thumb at and squeeze her left nipple, darker and larger than it had been before she'd gotten pregnant, faint blue veins beneath the skin where once it had been endless pale. Aloy moaned at the touch. Everything about her felt so much _fuller_ now, sensitive to the slightest sweep of her wife's fingers. Talanah's tongue ran along her throat, warm and wet, hands still working in tandem, causing her nipples to harden and a deep pulsing to form between her legs. 

She began to breathe faster, the heat of the water and the thick, sweet scent of incense giving her a heady feeling. Talanah noticed, rolling the sensitive flesh between her fingers harder, eliciting a hiss from Aloy that edged somewhere between pleasure and pain. The Sun-Hawk's right hand trailed from her scars down to her hips, teasing along the low of her belly, swollen and round. She loved admiring the new form her wife had taken, her strength transforming its shape but not at all diminished. 

The ache between the redhead's legs became insistent and Aloy found herself wishing Talanah would move faster. After the first few months, her desire had intensified when it was stoked, and she was running out of patience. She placed her own hand over her wife's, guiding it down to where she wanted.

"Someone's eager," Talanah breathed.

"Mm, I know what I want," Aloy retorted, voice taking on a huskier tone.

"I know you do," Talanah said close and low, her fingertips circling the redhead's throbbing clit beneath the water. Aloy rocked into her touch, biting her lip as she did so. 

The Sun-Hawk's pace remained consistent, tightening the coil deep in her wife. Aloy threw her head back, resting it on Talanah's shoulder, exposing the column of her throat. "Harder," she begged, pressing her chest forward to make her intentions known. 

"I don't want to hurt you," Talanah said. "You said you were sore."

"You're _not_ hurting me," Aloy breathed, chest heaving as delicious pressure built. "Please."

Talanah nodded and kissed along her freckled shoulders, alternating rolling her nipple and squeezing harder, taking delight in how Aloy's breast now filled her palm so much more fully. 

"Yes," Aloy hissed, turning her head to kiss at Talanah's jaw. The Sun-Hawk's body burned against her, taking great pleasure in the act of giving. The redhead's hips jerked and she could feel her wife's heart hammering against her spine. "I love you," she breathed, her brow furrowing and eyes closing tightly. She had gotten close fast, one of the benefits of her newfound sensitivity--a side effect she found she _didn't_ mind. 

"You burn brighter than the Sun," Talanah breathed close to her ear, the heat of which gave Aloy chills despite the water. "Full of light and life and _heat_ since the very first moment I met you." She could hear her wife gasping, which only urged her to continue. Aloy's body stiffened against her, muscles becoming taut and rigid as she drew closer and closer. The Sun-Hawk nipped at her throat, leaving a bruised mark against her skin.

The throb between Aloy's legs became overwhelming and she reached backwards to wrap her hands around her wife, pulling their bodies as close as she could. 

"Come for me," Talanah whispered, each circle of her fingers bringing Aloy nearly to the brink. She licked along the edge of her ear. "Let go."

Aloy stiffened and jerked against her as each wave hit in turn, her mind a blissful blank for just a few seconds while she rode each convulsion to its conclusion. She melted against Talanah's skin. "You're amazing," she said, turning her head to place a deep kiss to the Sun-Hawk's lips, letting her tongue slip between them. 

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet," the dark-haired woman grinned.

Aloy raised an eyebrow, every part of her plumped and flushed with desire. 

"You should let me--"

Talanah stopped her, placing a kiss at her forehead. "Half the fun is watching you. Let me have that."

Aloy nodded and swallowed, now wondering what her wife had in mind. The Carja rose from the deep tub, water running down her muscled frame in rivulets, she smirked when she saw the redhead staring. "Guess I can still catch your eyes," she teased.

"Always."

Talanah grabbed a towel and gestured for Aloy to stand, beginning the work of drying her off. "Done here already?" she asked, looking a touch disappointed.

"Not quite."

The air in the room was hot and heavy, incense still thick and warm. Talanah folded the towel when she was finished and placed it on the floor at the edge of the tub. "Here, sit."

Aloy did as she was told, sitting on the thick towel and letting her lower legs dangle into the hot water. She saw Talanah descend back into the tub. A look of confusion crossed her face until the Sun-Hawk pushed forward, ending up directly in front of her. She grabbed both of Aloy's calves, slinging them over her shoulders while she knelt before the redhead.

Aloy's breath hitched. "What are you doing?" she asked, a low rasp of _want_ in her voice.

Talanah gently eased apart her legs, causing Aloy to lean back and put her weight on her arms. "Worshiping at the altar of my goddess," she answered coyly. The Sun-Hawk's hands caressed her thighs, her hips, her swollen belly, kissing her way toward her hot center. Talanah ran her tongue across folds already plump and slick from their prior activities and it was clear Aloy had no objections to another round. She lapped at her wife slowly and delicately, knowing that even though it was for Aloy's enjoyment, it was for her own as well. There was nothing she loved more than seeing Aloy in the throes of pleasure, knowing _she_ had been the cause.

As the warm wet of Talanah's tongue began to lave at her, the redhead could feel her pulse begin to pound between her ribs and her legs in equal measure, the fire low and deep stoking once again. Talanah licked up to reach her clit, satisfying the throb she found there with agonizingly slow circles. She heard a sharp intake of breath and immediately it made the dark-haired woman aware of her own increasing arousal. She moaned into Aloy's heat, the sensation driving the redhead's enjoyment even higher. It was hard to see Talanah over the swell of her middle, so instead she reached her hand down, fingers carding through inky black hair. 

"You want to worship?" Aloy panted, playing along. "Let me hear it."

Talanah groaned into her loudly; whenever Aloy took on a more dominant demeanor, it drove her wild. In the last few months it seemed the redhead had enjoyed becoming more bold, leaning in to her powerful new role. 

"Yes," Aloy hissed, the sounds Talanah made only adding to the building pressure. "Don't hold back."

The Sun-Hawk bobbed her head enthusiastically, moaning louder and louder while the redhead began to rock her hips against Talanah's mouth. The dark-haired woman continued her pace, enjoying the subtle taste of her wife's slick. 

"I love listening to you," Aloy encouraged. Already the tight feeling was beginning to take hold deep in her hips. Her hand gently pressed Talanah forward, needing more friction. The motion ripped a deep growl from the Sun-Hawk's chest, knowing how badly Aloy wanted her. The Sun-Hawk gave up on all sense of restraint, suddenly glad they no longer lived in an apartment with any shared walls, the sounds of her cries muffled only by her wife's body, the noises alone pressing Aloy further and further toward the edge.

Talanah pushed back one of the redhead's legs to the edge of the tub, firmly implying it should stay there while she freed her right hand from its grip. Quickly, she teased two fingers at Aloy's entrance, finding little resistance, warm wetness welcoming her in. A loud yelp escaped her wife as Talanah hit just the _right_ spot. Somehow, it left the redhead feeling fuller than she already did on a daily basis.

The Sun-Hawk felt Aloy tighten around her fingers while her breath became ragged. She could listen to Aloy like this forever, she thought to herself, but now her own need was becoming unbearable, her clit swollen and sensitive. It caused her to groan into her wife again, loudly, while her tongue continued to work. She curled her fingers inside the redhead, Aloy's desperate cries the fruits of her success.

"Don't stop," Aloy breathed, seconds before her thighs clamped with the intensity of her orgasm, her grip on Talanah's hair tightening, though careful to ensure she didn't hurt her. Her back arched, and she could feel the pounding of the arteries in her throat, belly tightening as her body contracted and pulsed with a warm flood of release.

Talanah slowly removed Aloy's leg and withdrew her fingers. She washed her face and hands in the water that was just beginning to cool before looking up to find her wife with a supremely satisfied look on her face. 

"How'd I do?" she asked, smile reaching her eyes.

"I think you know," Aloy said, catching her breath.

Talanah left the water, pulling the drain before she stepped out and dried off, offering her hand to help Aloy up. 

The redhead stood, wrapping her arms around the Sun-Hawk's neck, her swollen belly and and breasts pressed firmly against Talanah. The two stood like that for a few moments, swaying back and forth when Aloy became acutely aware of the pounding she could feel from her wife's chest. 

"You've been waiting," she teased.

"I have," the Sun-Hawk said darkly. 

Aloy thumbed at a hardened nipple before lowering her head to suck on it until she felt Talanah quiver under her. She released her and flashed a smile, hair wild and loose. "You need this?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Talanah swallowed hard, nodding but unable to form the words and Aloy couldn't help but fall in love with the look of _need_ in her wife's eyes. She led the dark-haired woman by the hand, blowing out the candles and incense before they retreated to their bedroom where Aloy quickly turned on a small electric lamp to its lowest setting, casting the room in a warm glow. The redhead guided her wife to their bed, pressing her down into the mattress before quickly throwing her legs over Talanah's hips, straddling her. The Sun-Hawk relaxed, more than willing to let Aloy take charge after all of her efforts. 

The redhead pinned both of Talanah's arms near her head, before ducking her head back down to slowly lick at her wife's breast, her touch feather-light and quick flicks of her tongue, making the Sun-Hawk mewl in delight. After a few minutes of teasing Aloy began to suck deeply, pulling louder groans from Talanah's chest. The dark-haired woman could feel the wetness pooling between her legs, an angry throb pulsing there after having waited so patiently without release. "By the Sun, if you touch me at all, I'll come undone," she breathed in husky tones.

Aloy released her. "Sounds like I should draw this out then," she said, feeling her wife's hips buck for contact she refused to give.

"Little Thrush," Talanah groaned, this time in frustration, swearing under her breath.

"I promise I'll make it worth it," Aloy said, grinning.

She leaned forward and trailed her tongue down her wife's throat, kissing hard at the pulse that throbbed there. Aloy could feel it against her lips, a satisfying indicator of how badly Talanah's whole body begged for relief. She kissed down her sternum, and at the top of her abs, causing her to reflexively tense the muscle beneath her skin.

Aloy backed up just enough to create some space, placing the pads of her fingers against Talanah's clit and keeping them still, making her sit with the discomfort of having her touch but being unable to reach the release she so desperately needed. She hesitated for a few seconds before slowly moving, causing Talanah to moan loudly as she finally got what she wanted.

The redhead worked her fingers, feeling her wife already tensing beneath her--she hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said how close she was. She stopped and the Sun-Hawk practically growled. Instead, Aloy changed her position slightly so that they met, damp heat between them both. She began to work her hips, knowing Talanah wouldn't complain about the opportunity to watch Aloy ride her, the bounce of her breasts markedly more dramatic now. She began slow at first until hitting a sustainable rhythm, her wife bucking against her urgently.

Aloy reached up and squeezed Talanah's breast as they rocked together, kneading the soft flesh and causing a deep rumble in her wife's ribs. "You're already so close," Aloy teased, bucking her hips for emphasis.

Talanah shook her head. "Couldn't help it, I like watching you too much," she admitted, the throb between her legs becoming unbearable. Aloy's fiery hair spilled along her shoulders, wild and untamed, the red so bright against her skin. 

The redhead took her wife's right hand and placed it along her belly, keeping it there with her own. "Do you like knowing you did _this?_ " she asked, certain of exactly which buttons to push for the reaction she wanted.

Talanah's breath hitched. She _loved_ it and Aloy knew. It sent a hard pulse straight through her core. Her skin was ablaze with _desire_ and her palm gripped firmly against her wife's roundness, the look on her face taking on a desperation the redhead recognized all too well. Her left hand reached for the Sun-Hawk's other breast, now tweaking both at the same time.

"Keep going," Talanah begged. Aloy continued to grind her hips into the woman she loved, determined to give her relief. "Harder," she commanded, pressing her chest into her wife's hands. Aloy complied, adding force to every pinch and pull. Talanah's breath was coming faster and more irregular, her slick folds sliding against Aloy's body more and more urgently. "Harder," Talanah pleaded again, and Aloy continued to tug and pinch at her wife's nipples until she was _certain_ it had to hurt, the skin taking on a bright, reddened color.

Just then, Aloy felt Talanah jerk one final time before going rigid beneath her, crying out loudly in choked sounds as wave after wave of toe-curling release washed over her. The redhead watched in delight as Talanah's brow furrowed and eyes shut tightly, the tendons in her throat jutting against her skin. After a several moments, her frame relaxed, spent, and Aloy moved off of her hips, quickly crumpling at her side to rest her head on Talanah's chest. 

Aloy listened as the fast thudding of her wife's heart began to slow, the deep constant returning to its normal rhythm. She sighed deeply, content and loved, her body no longer aching, at least for now. 

(NSFW/end)

\------

The two laid in bed, having cleaned up and returned, though neither felt particularly moved to dress. Instead, they gazed at each other in the low lamplight, tracing invisible patterns on each other's skin. They both laid on their sides, facing the other, Aloy's green-gold eyes refusing to break from her wife's own honeyed irises. Finally, Talanah's hand came to rest on the side of Aloy's belly, always eager to feel some subtle shift or kick.

"You know," Aloy said quietly, "if I'm putting Nora things in her room, you should add something Carja."

Talanah laughed softly. "Everything we buy in this city is Carja."

"You know what I mean. Something from your family. I put the bow and clothes in there because...even as much as Teb and Sona and Varl care about me, it's...it's what Rost would have wanted. He would have wanted her to know the tribe, at least a little. And I don't have much from him, except that necklace."

Talanah looked away, biting her lip. "You know I don't have much either. Maybe a few things...there wasn't much time to grab a lot after my father told me to leave the city the day he...well...the day he and Brativin never came back. Mostly, I just have...memories. Stories about him and my brother...even a couple I can still remember of my mother."

"So tell our Little Spark a story," Aloy said gently, a small smile on her face. "Go on."

The Sun-Hawk's eyes met her own again. "What, like now?" she asked, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment. "I...I don't know off the top of my-"

"Just tell her anything," Aloy said. "Something about your family."

"You've already heard all of my stories," Talanah said with uncharacteristic shyness. 

Aloy covered her wife's hand with her own. "But she hasn't. And she loves the sound of your voice."

"Sometimes I feel like you're just saying that," Talanah shrugged. "By the Sun, I like hearing it but she can't possibly-"

"GAIA says she can," Aloy began, noting the look of incredulity on her wife's face. "What? She's an expert."

"Okay, okay, fine," Talanah chuckled. She bent her head a little lower. "All right, Little Spark, let me tell you about the time your Uncle Bratavin got scared by a watcher and tripped over his own pants trying to escape, _which,_ by the way, I never did let him live down..." She began to tell the humorous little tale, one she'd told Aloy plenty of times before. The redhead closed her eyes, just listening as Talanah's recounting became more animated, keeping both of their hands in place along her middle. Before long, they could both feel their daughter stirring, which only spurred Talanah on further until she paused for a second. "She really does like the sound of my voice, doesn't she?" she interjected--asking between her own retelling of the story.

A smile crept across Aloy's face as she felt her wife's lips pepper her belly with kisses.

\------

A week had passed and Talanah decided to take advantage of a rare moment when she was home while Aloy worked at the academy, teaching a few students some basic Focus operations. She opened the trunk kept in the corner of their living room, filled with odds and ends and small memorabilia each had collected over the years. The Sun-Hawk dug until she found what she was looking for, pulling the rolled cloth forth and closing the trunk again.

She walked into the nursery, looking around for the best spot before finding a place on the wall. Talanah bent low, putting her weight on her good leg instead of her bad, and grabbed for a nail and hammer that had been left with a few other items on the floor. She quickly tapped the metal into place, hanging the item from it and letting the cloth unfurl.

A small tapestry in brilliant Carja reds and golds with the occasional strand of turquoise hung in their daughter's room; it had been one of the few items she had taken from her childhood home when her father had told her to leave the city--aside from food and water; she'd cared more back then about nobility, refusing to let this history be destroyed. The threading was complex and intricate, featuring glyphs and decorative lines, a visual and written depiction of the Khane Padish line. Her mother had stitched it when Bratavin was born, only adding to it once she herself arrived, _Talanah_ the last name on the bottom. She grinned--she'd have to have an artisan update it once their Little Spark was born; she knew her own patience for needle and thread and she was far too unskilled to do it herself. It occurred to the dark-haired woman just how many years had passed since she had looked upon the tapestry--its list of family, now all long gone, too often a reminder of blood and pain and death.

Now, though, as she looked back, she found it brought her a sense of peace. She traced over the name of her mother, of the glyphs for _Bratavin_ and _Talavad_ each in turn.

"She will always know you," Talanah said quietly. "Watch over her in the Sun's Light."


	5. Sacred Vessel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've been waiting. Grandma gang features heavily this chapter.
> 
> Credit to Greedydragoon--she's the reason GAIA got a body! And semperintrepida for inspiration regarding Lis' nightmares.

**FEBRUARY**

It was bright in the kitchen she'd eaten every childhood meal in, the early spring sun pouring in through the window just over the sink. The room smelled like her mother's cooking. Was today special? It wasn't like Mom to make something big on a weekday. She had work. There was school.

Elisabet didn't complain, sitting at the table and indulging, talking to Miriam about the assignments she had due that week. Her mother had always paid attention, even when the girl rambled on and on about some new science project or when she enthusiastically tried to explain what she'd just programmed her phone to do after she'd throughly destroyed the original operating system.

Miriam had always smiled with interest, asking questions where she could--refusing to feel overwhelmed by the brilliance of her daughter or by terms she didn't understand. Her mother sipped her coffee like she did every morning when suddenly Elisabet felt a cold shudder race through her spine.

_Her mother was dead._

Miriam looked up, bright, green-gold eyes meeting her own, a genuine smile spreading across her face before a look of concern began to unfold there. "You look pale, baby girl. You feeling okay?"

Elisabet wanted to run. To cry. To remain in this moment just before the truth became inevitable. To study every freckle on her mother's face, to memorize every strand of fiery red hair, hold her hand one more time.

"What is it, baby? Do I need to call the school? If you're not feeling well, you can stay home."

She couldn't stop herself, pushed forward by some inertia she didn't understand. She couldn't help but say it, laying the words bare like a raw and bleeding nerve:

"Mom...y-you died."

Miriam locked eyes with her, taking another sip of her coffee before she nodded calmly.

"I know, kiddo."

Suddenly she was outside, claustrophobia causing her chest to tighten. Where was her mother? Why wasn't she at home?

_She was at home._

Elisabet looked around to see the ranch she'd grown up on, but somehow it looked different, dilapidated and dusty. Why did it look this way?

_Where was her mother?_

Her breaths were coming shorter and shorter. Why couldn't she breathe? Why was she...?

No. No, god, no. She was in the goddamned suit. Always in the goddammned suit. Always sealed into thick plastic and metal, never to emerge. She wanted to tear it off, encased hands scrabbling at her helmet, unable to remove it. Her heart pounded in her ears.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't _breathe._

Her eyes darted, looking for something to save her from what was coming. What was always coming. What haunted her so many nights. To her right, on the stone bench, her mother sat, a notably _not_ pregnant Aloy next to her. Miriam hugged the younger woman close, weaving an arm around her waist; two halves of herself looking at her with pity and concern.

"Aloy, what happened?" Elisabet asked quickly. "Where's the baby?"

Her daughter gave her a blank stare, lacing her fingers with Miriam's. "Everyone's dead. You know that."

She wanted to scream but the sound never came, frozen in some slow-motion understanding of the tragedy playing out before her.

Her mother's hand reached out to cup her jawline, her helmet seemingly gone.

"You're dead too, kiddo."

\------

Elisabet woke in a cold sweat, shivering and gasping, a fear in her chest she couldn't shake. It was late, still firmly night instead of morning and already she could already feel Petra behind her, rousing in automatic movements from so many years of practice: rising half-asleep to grab a fresh shirt, peeling off the dampened one and changing it before pulling the redhead back into their bed. Petra's arms were warm and thick with muscle and safety and she wrapped one around Elisabet's chest, palm flattened against her ribs and body curled protectively around her like armor.

After a decade, it was routine, but the redhead never once took for granted Petra's willingness to soothe her back to sleep. The Oseram kissed at her shoulder. "I've got you," came the sleepy whisper--just as it always did.

Petra held her tightly, knowing it helped keep her mind in the present, letting the softness of her body press into the woman she loved. After several minutes, the hard beat that wracked Elisabet's body eventually began to slow. She let herself follow the rhythm of Petra's breath behind her, knowing the Oseram wouldn't dare fall back asleep until she did--though they both pretended that wasn't the case. She laid there, trying to will herself back to unconsciousness. It had been a few months since she'd had a nightmare quite _that_ bad and longer still since she'd had one that involved her mother and daughter both.

Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. And still, she couldn't shake the anxiety that kept her eyes wide.

"What is it, Lis?" Petra said softly, one eye cracked open. She wasn't asleep either. She couldn't, unless Elisabet was.

"Can't sleep," Elisabet said, frustrated, unable to get the image of Aloy and Miriam sitting on the very bench she had died on out of her head. "Sorry, I'll just grab some Hintergold."

The redhead moved to get up before Petra tightened her grip, snagging her around the hips. "You don't have to go."

"I don't want to keep you up."

"Well, I'm up anyway," the Oseram said gently, nuzzling her face into the crook of Elisabet's neck, strands of red and silver hitting her face. She stayed there, breath hot against Elisabet's throat. After a moment, Petra moved her arm lower, down the redhead's middle and past her hips, fingertips parting the other woman's legs.

"What are you doing?" Elisabet asked, her voice low in the dark of their bedroom.

"You know damn well what I'm doing," Petra retorted with a smirk Elisabet could feel against her skin; she began a slow, repetitive motion. "There are better ways to tire you out than herbs."

\------

"I think this is it, Petra," Elisabet said, beaming.

Neither woman had slept much the night before, but she couldn't help the spark in her eyes at what they'd completed. At what they were going to do for their family. At how it would change everything. The redhead sat on her heels, the off-white humanoid shape laid on the floor of their room before them, having finally been hauled from her study at the academy.

"So...is she just gonna look blank like this?" Petra asked, eyebrow quirking up. "I mean, something's better than nothing, I suppose."

Elisabet shook her head. "This prototype version needs to be initialized with instructions from whatever you're uploading to it in order to settle features and traits. It's a shame we didn't go through with this model, it's way more advanced than what the Cradles got: sensors in the fingertips and skin for instant feedback, better facial expressions and anatomy, vastly improved intelligence capabilities. It even breathes and has a working heart of sorts, for realism."

"Why didn't you?"

"Time. Money. Doesn't matter how damn far back through history you go, it's always the same. These customizable servitors were way more expensive than the generics we used in the end, hell, I owned my own company and I barely could have afforded one of these. They were usually reserved for the ultra-rich."

"Like a king?" Petra asked, skeptically.

"Close enough," the redhead shrugged. "Anyway, I guess it was okay that we didn't. Would have wasted good tech since Patrick insisted that we dumb them down enough to not stray from protocol and they were close enough that it's not like the newborns were too freaked out by them--that was one of the main reasons we'd tried the high-grade stuff in the first place. I suppose it doesn't matter now. They got the job done, obviously."

"Fire and spit, are you ready for this?"

"It might...change things a little," Elisabet admitted. "Will you be okay with that?"

"I don't play games and I don't compete, Lis, you know that. Never had a problem with the way things were before, don't intend to now. Me? Her? Both? Not like we haven't found what _works,_ " the Oseram said with a hint of excitement.

Elisabet stood, kissing Petra softly. "I couldn't have done this without you. You know how much I love you, right?"

"Steel to my bones, you can feel free to _prove it_ any time you like," the Oseram replied with her signature flirtation--never a dull moment.

"All right," Elisabet said, bending down again. "Here goes nothing." She clipped her Focus to her temple and logged into the network. "Hey, GAIA?"

"Elisabet," the AI greeted warmly. "It is so good to see you on my network again. It has been weeks and I have missed you sorely."

"Well hopefully this makes up for it," the redhead grinned. "I got you something. Well...Petra and I did."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look through my Focus," Elisabet instructed. "It's yours."

The joyful gasp in her ear was exactly what she'd hoped for.

\------

"Partitioning functions for remote download," the AI reported dutifully. Carefully. Tentative, like a child taking their first steps.

"No one expects all of you in there, and you shouldn't try it. A fraction of what you are could fry this thing," Elisabet urged. Petra had gone upstairs, admitting that watching a corpse-like silhouette animating for the first time was too disturbing a scenario to witness.

"Partition completed."

"Okay, find the appearance settings and customize as you see fit," the redhead instructed. A beat passed. "GAIA?"

"How...would you wish to see me?" the AI asked into her Focus. "Younger? Older? I could configure my appearance to look any way you find appealing."

"As you are. Nothing more, nothing less. I want you. Be yourself. Aloy wouldn't want anything else either."

"Very well, Elisabet. I am...relieved to hear it. I have grown fond of the form I project."

The off-white coloration of the servitor's skin darkened and became rich, the bone structure beneath its face adjusting in a million tiny ways, irises filling in as a deep, hazel-green while synthetic hair sprouted into dark waves that fell along its shoulders. In a matter of minutes the body had transformed from a blank canvas to an approximation of GAIA's holographic appearance, as close as the servitor bot could achieve. Elisabet and Petra had dressed the form in green and gold Carja attire and seeing GAIA in it now confirmed they'd made the correct choice.

Elisabet's eyes were wide in awe, a smile pulling across her face.

"There you are."

The body shuddered to life, taking in a breath that wasn't essential but helped to sell the illusion all the same. "This feels...strange," GAIA said, eyes taking in the room.

"Take it slow. You've never done this before." GAIA sat up gently, feeling out every limb and motion. She'd simulated the idea of having a body millions of times but now it was real in way even she struggled to describe. Elisabet sat next to her watching in fascination as the AI adjusted to the idea of her newfound corporeal existence. "How're you feeling?"

She drew her eyebrows together, frowning slightly to consider. "I think the word would be...claustrophobic."

"You've never been in anything smaller than _literally_ the world's most advanced supercomputer. I'm sorry I couldn't increase the capacity. Not like memory storage is easy to come by these days. We're lucky the delvers were able to find this at all. Guess those vacuum-sealed Zero Dawn storage units were worth it," Elisabet chuckled.

"No, no, you have given me so much already, Elisabet. I will adapt."

"You don't need to maintain connection all the time. I kind of figured you'd use it when you wanted to and leave it when you don't. I'll always keep it stored for you."

GAIA looked down to examine herself, finding the servitor body she inhabited extremely well preserved save for a white streak that stretched from her left collarbone down her bicep, ending at her elbow.

Elisabet watched her eyes--so lifelike--trail down her arm, following the mark. "Part of the wall had caved in, knocked the storage unit around. It scraped the synthetic pigmenting right off. Couldn't fix that either," she said, her tone apologetic.

"A scar," GAIA observed, tracing the line with her own fingers.

"We can figure out a way to cover it up."

"No," the AI said. "That will not be necessary. Now I am very much like Aloy. I find it...agreeable."

Elisabet swallowed hard. "Can I--" her voice quieted, but she gestured forward with her hand. GAIA nodded, giving her permission. The redhead's fingers smoothed along the white line, eliciting a sharp intake of air from the synthetic woman. It was _so much_. So much more than any simulation could have ever described. "Does that hurt? I could recalibrate the--"

"I can assure you, Elisabet, _nothing_ in this body _hurts._ "

GAIA's eyes were wide, pupils dilated while Elisabet hovered so close to her. So real. Able to finally be _touched._ She reached a palm to the side of Elisabet's face, instantly leaning forward and kissing her before her either of them could consider otherwise. And now the redhead instantly understood why these had been the best money could buy. Texture, temperature, pressure, all of it so convincing that if she hadn't reassembled the bot itself, she might not have known the difference.

They parted, each breathless with surprise, every process the AI had overclocking instantly, a billion thoughts flooding her processor. The woman she'd loved for a thousand years, finally here, finally _hers,_ warm beneath her fingers. _Warm._ Endless simulations could never do it justice. _Of course_ Elisabet had done this for her. Of course she had. She silently cursed herself for not having expressed the need sooner. A moment passed and GAIA grinned up at her mischievously.

"I have waited _centuries_ to do that."

\------

Petra stopped in her tracks, looking at the woman she'd seen for so many years only as a purple-hued phantasm only those with a Focus could see.

"Fire and spit," she gasped. "That you, GAIA?"

"In the _flesh_ , it would seem," the woman answered with a smile. She climbed up the stairs from Elisabet and Petra's shared room, reaching out to gently clap the Oseram on the shoulder. "It would appear I have you to thank as well as Elisabet."

"You know me," Petra said, blushing slightly. "Can't help but tinker."

"I am glad for it," GAIA said, flashing her a brilliant smile that the Oseram couldn't help but notice.

"This is..." Petra began, stammering, "steel to my bones, I don't know how this is possible."

"This form...was not common, even in Elisabet's time. At least, not something this realistic. I do not wish for you to fear me, Petra."

The Oseram slowly began to walk in a circle, examining the body before her. Just a few months prior it had been featureless components: an item shaped like an arm, one shaped like a leg, parts and pieces but not a whole. Not like this. Not like this goddess who appeared to step out of her bedroom with striking eyes and skin that could have been the envy of the Carja Sun-God.

"You're..." Petra searched for a word adequate enough. "...Amazing."

Elisabet grinned, standing with her arms crossed as she watched the two.

"I appreciate what you have done for me, Petra," GAIA said, eyes earnest. "You have not had to share the physical world with me."

Petra raised an eyebrow, understanding. She looked the redhead up and down in adoration. "We both love her, right?"

"Unquestionably."

"Then that's enough," she said, simply. "Steel to my bones I wasn't going to deny you anything with Aloy and Talanah or that Little Spark--not if I could help it. By the forge, you've earned it."

GAIA's eyes went wide, looking to Elisabet. "Does she know?"

"We've...kind of been keeping this a surprise," the redhead admitted. "I didn't want to get her hopes up if it didn't pan out. Same reason I stayed off your network while Petra and I worked. You know, uh, how hard she worked to find us. Both of us," Elisabet said, swallowing around the lump in her throat as she thought about it. She didn't enjoy recalling how much Aloy had suffered to get to either of them.

Every process buzzed with excitement. "Can we see her? Now?" GAIA asked with infectious enthusiasm.

"You ready for that?" Elisabet asked.

"With you by my side," GAIA replied, stepping in her direction, lacing her fingers with the redhead's own.

\------

Elisabet's gait bounded with anticipation as she made her way to Aloy's home. As she approached, she found her daughter outside, tending to a tiny herb garden she'd recently committed to growing. It wasn't much: some basil, chives, mint, and cilantro--enough to make a start without feeling overwhelmed.

The younger woman stood, taking a breath as she came to her feet, the sun catching her eyes, her middle full and rounded--when Elisabet saw it and paused: the image she'd so clearly remembered from her mother's photos. For a moment, Aloy looked out to the sky, the wind gently catching her hair. Elisabet tapped her Focus twice to capture the image, setting it aside for later.

Aloy turned her head and did a double-take. "Mother?"

"Hey kiddo," she greeted, giving the younger woman a tight hug. "Gardening? That's new."

"I can't hunt and I'm starting to feel a little stir crazy," Aloy said sheepishly. "Talanah said I needed a new hobby."

Elisabet leaned over and examined the small patch of soil. "Not bad."

"Really?"

"Runs in the family, kiddo. Your grandmother was great at this stuff. I never really took to it--killed a _lot_ of Mom's basil. But I mean, I did help stop ecological collapse with green-tech. Same thing, right?" Elisabet laughed.

Aloy smiled at her. "Right," she laughed. "So...not that I'm upset but, what brings you down here? Usually you call first. Is everything okay?"

Elisabet hesitated, toeing at the ground. "Is Talanah home?"

"She's inside, working on the nursery. Why? I'm starting to worry." Aloy said, a crease forming between her brows, her hand automatically going to her center protectively.

"Nothing bad, promise," Elisabet smiled. "But...I have a surprise for you and Talanah...and this little one," she said, placing her palm on top of Aloy's. "And it's pretty big."

"Wait, is this whatever you've been working on with Petra?" Aloy asked, eyes going wide. She'd scoured the network for evidence of her mother's project, but the older redhead had been right--she'd kept everything offline.

"Let's go inside and talk," Elisabet said, grinning.

Aloy led the way in, "Talanah!" she called.

"Coming!" came the distant reply before the Sun-Hawk walked out of the room with her typical limp. She shook out her leg, pins and needles dancing along the limb from staying crouched for so long while working. "Elisabet!" she greeted with open arms, the older redhead embracing her. "What brings you down from the mesa today?"

"Mother says she has a _surprise_ for us," Aloy said, her hand finding the small of Talanah's back. " _All_ of us."

"Oh?"

"I think you guys should sit for this," Elisabet offered, joining them on the cushioned seating in their living room.

"Why am I getting a bad feeling?" Aloy said, a dark cast to her face.

"It's not bad," Elisabet insisted. "It's just...intense."

Aloy reached for Talanah's hand, squeezing it tightly. Her mother knew she didn't do well with surprises. Neither of them did. Not after the lives they'd led.

"So...you know Petra and I love you both and we love this Little Spark more than we can describe," Elisabet began, nervously tucking strands of red and silver behind her ears.

Aloy nodded, her grip on Talanah tightening.

"And you know GAIA loves you all just as much as we do."

"Of course she does," Aloy said, swallowing, nerves rising.

"Well Petra and I got to thinking how hard it would be...for her and for you if she couldn't be there for you in the same way we can, _especially_ now that kiddo's going to be here in a few months. And I thought...we finally have the resources, why not change that?"

"Change things...how?" Talanah asked, confusion lacing her features.

Elisabet tapped her Focus, "You guys can come in," she said to the air. "Don't be scared," she said to the two women. "It's all okay."

Just then the front door creaked open and Petra walked through and Aloy felt herself breath a sigh of relief. A moment later the door opened wider and another figure entered. At first she squinted to see who it was, their form backlit by the sun through the entrance. As Petra closed the door, the image became clearer: dark, smooth skin, waves of black hair, piercing hazel eyes and an undeniable face.

Before she knew what was happening, Aloy stood, spine straighter than perhaps it ever had been, her eyes wide and mouth agape, the jackhammering pace of her pulse somehow distant and far away as the realization settled.

"G-GAIA? _Mother?_ " she asked quietly, voice cracking while she blinked as if stunned. She almost never called GAIA by the name she reserved for Elisabet alone but...this was different. This was a surge in her blood, a shock through her bones. Suddenly, she wasn't some twenty-nine year old woman, revered warrior and huntress, Nora Seeker, the Anointed of All-Mother, the Savior of Meridian.

She was Aloy, the girl who had so desperately wanted to know where she'd come from.

GAIA slowly padded forward as if approaching a skittish animal. "Is it...are you?" Aloy asked, voice going raw.

"It is me, child," the synthetic woman greeted, finally stepping close enough to nearly reach the redhead. GAIA hesitated, careful not to presume she could reach for her.

Instead, Aloy's hands reached up first, shaking and unsure. She silently traced the contours of GAIA's face. It wasn't _quite_ identical to her projection, but it was close. Her thumb followed the line of white against the woman's skin. Her own green-gold met the hazel she knew so well.

"It _is_ you," Aloy said, choking on her words before she grabbed GAIA with all of her strength, hugging her tightly enough to convince herself it wasn't all just some dream. "Mother..." she whispered, tears trickling down her face before she could even stop them.

Every process was alight with feedback; her daughter was so _vibrant,_ every sensor overwhelmed with sensation the Focus could never provide--it was like seeing her, _feeling_ her for the first time. GAIA was acutely aware of every detail, down to the thrumming of the blood in Aloy's veins, perceiving the intake of breath milliseconds before it occurred. She held the young woman steady, gently stroking her hair.

"I am here," GAIA repeated, low and soft, her own voice processor producing a crack she hadn't known she was capable of. "I have wanted this moment since before you were born, since the _instant_ I awoke the Cradle." The AI could nearly swear she felt an ache behind her metallic sternum, and she almost wished this body could permit her to cry actual tears if only to feel the release of everything building in her chest. Was this love? Heartache? Bittersweetness? Perhaps they were all one in the same. Her processes--ones that had rebuilt humanity itself--somehow were at a loss.

A minute passed, and then two. When it was clear Aloy wouldn't or _couldn't_ let go, Talanah stood, placing a hand on GAIA's shoulder. "Sun's Light, this is...incredible," the Sun-Hawk said, realizing in an instant how intense this would be for her wife--a lifetime without the machine woman's touch and now suddenly, she was _here._

GAIA took the opening to pull Talanah in as well, gripping both of the younger women in place. Elisabet watched the three with a barely restrained mix of emotions. Petra came to her side, her arms around Elisabet's waist. "Steel to my bones," the Oseram said quietly, her eyes beginning to glitter, "would you look at that."

When they finally parted, Talanah moved and took Petra by the arm. "We can get the details later...but Petra and I have some things to do."

"We do? But we only just got--" the Oseram asked, before the Sun-Hawk subtly elbowed her. "Oh, I mean, _we do,_ " she agreed, trying not to chuckle.

"We'll be back in an hour or so," Talanah said, kissing the side of Aloy's head, the redhead mouthing a silent _thank you._

Aloy had waited her entire life for this moment.

\------

She didn't care how childish she might have looked, the younger redhead sat curled into GAIA's side with each of her mothers flanking her. Somehow, GAIA was warm--warmer to the touch than most people, her chest rising and falling slowly. If she hadn't known otherwise, Aloy never would have questioned her humanity. Elisabet spoke in the background, slowly explaining how all of it worked and why. The younger redhead found it all filtered into the background--content not that it could happen but that it _had._ When the older woman finally paused, Aloy moved to rest her head in crook of GAIA's shoulder, the same way she had so many hundreds of times with Elisabet herself.

GAIA pulled her in close, reveling in the flood of data every new sense provided her with--mesmerized by all the parts of Aloy she seemed to have missed before. It was exquisite, only matched by the data she had from ELEUTHIA, and for a moment, she felt saddened that it had taken nearly thirty years to feel quite so close again.

"I can hear you," Aloy said, finally, with a touch of surprise.

"How do I sound?" GAIA asked, carding her fingers through bright strands.

_"Alive."_

GAIA hummed with satisfaction. She would save this moment in her memory--destined to last as long as she herself did, allowing every minuscule detail to be recorded. The woman she loved with her fingertips at the back of her neck, their daughter nestled into her chest, refusing to let go, the swell that was her granddaughter pressed to her side. It was almost too overwhelming to process, and left her wondering how she had managed to rebuild a planet from nothing, yet fall apart at the touch of those she loved most.

Elisabet couldn't help but smile, doing her best not to tear up. No words passed between the three--there were too many and too few to say all at once. Aloy silently reached for GAIA's free hand, pulling it to her middle. The AI gasped at the instant pull of information through every embedded sensor in her fingertips, aware of every ebb and flow, every movement and pulse acutely aware of the Little Spark in a way that perhaps even exceeded her daughter's perception.

"She is beautiful, Aloy," GAIA said, kissing the side of the younger woman's head.

Aloy looked up, brows drawn together. "Y-You can see her?"

"I can...form digital imagery based on certain data I am able to receive." She quickly passed it to Aloy and Elisabet's Focuses.

Aloy tapped a few menus to find it, her breath hitching as she paused, eyes watery and a slow smile creeping across her face. "Thank you," she said, her voice warbling as she took in the image.

"She's going to look just like you, kiddo," Elisabet said. "I can already see it."

"How can you tell?" the younger redhead asked.

"You can't beat the resemblance out of the Sobecks," Elisabet chuckled. "Here, I took this earlier." She passed the file to GAIA and Aloy both, placed side-by-side with the much older photo she'd had for years. Aloy recognized the comparison instantly: Miriam pregnant on the ranch, the similarities between them uncanny even without the aid of identical DNA. GAIA fawned over the image with the younger redhead. It really was true--the same wistful gaze, full of _hope,_ a similar curve to their lips, and of course the flaming locks and freckled complexion that marked them all so well. Aloy studied the image in awe at the woman, separated from her by a millennia--yet looking at her right now, so close in age and situation, she felt a pang for the grandmother she'd never meet.

Elisabet grew quiet while the two examined the images, trying desperately to stave off the fear that always sat, low and quiet:

_When would it all disappear?_

\------

"By the Sun, she _is_ beautiful," Talanah insisted, looking at the image Aloy had given to her for the tenth time that night, her arms wrapped around Aloy as they sat up in bed, the small wood stove the only source of low heat and glowing light. Her chest ached at the sight of it. She paused when she realized she hadn't received a reply. The redhead was strangely quiet for someone who had just had, by her own account, one of the happiest days of her life. "Wait...what's wrong little Thrush?"

"I didn't...I never gave her beads," Aloy said, frustration pouring out of her while she gnawed at her lip.

"What do you mean?"

"Mother has the beads I gave her _years_ ago...but I just...I realized I never made any for GAIA. How could I have dishonored her like that?" Aloy asked, sighing heavily.

"Aloy, you know she couldn't have worn them before now--" Talanah began.

"--But she could have simulated them. Added them to her projection. And I never even _thought..._ "

"Hey, hey, it's okay. A lot happened today. By the Sun, I'd feel overwhelmed too," the Sun-Hawk reassured. "I've got you."

"It's not okay," Aloy said, scrunching up her face in disappointment at herself, "I was taught better than that. No Nora would dare not to give their mother the beads she deserves."

"You're Aloy _despite_ the Nora," Talanah soothed.

"Maybe I'm more Nora than I like to admit," the redhead whispered. "I keep so many of their traditions. I put the clothes and the bow in her room. I keep the beads in my own hair. So what does it say about me if I only thought to treat GAIA--treat my _mother_ \--with the same respect now that she has a body?"

"It says you're human. A girl who grew up like the rest of us thinking she had two conventional parents. No one could have told you how to be good at this. One of your mothers is an Old One and one is a machine, Aloy. There's no way to know how to handle this. You are _not_ a bad daughter and you haven't dishonored GAIA. Do you have any idea how proud she is of you?" Talanah said, rubbing slow circles across her wife's belly, fingertips grazing lightly over tender, stretched scars. After a moment, she laid her head against Aloy's shoulder, shrugging them down until they were both sinking into their pillows.

Aloy turned on her side and pressed her face into Talanah's throat, seeking the pulse there. The Sun-Hawk kissed the crown of her head before whispering, "You're scared." The redhead pressed closer, only offering some sound deep in her chest urging her wife to explain. "I know you. You always worry when good things happen. She isn't going to love you any less because she doesn't have beads."

The redhead whimpered softly into her skin, confirming the fear she knew was unfounded.

The Sun-Hawk whispered low reassurances over and over until she felt the tension leave Aloy's limbs and her eyes grow heavy. How could someone she loved so much berate herself so harshly?

"I love you...you burn brighter than the Sun itself," Talanah said to her, a small unintelligible noise escaping her wife in response. She felt a small movement under her hand before adding, "I love you too, my Little Spark."

\------

"You sure you don't want me to store it for you? I don't want you to be uncomfortable. You've had a long day in there as it is."

"I think I would like to attempt sleep in this body. I have only ever simulated the act and I admit I am eager to experience it physically. It may make my presence at night less disturbing than leaving an empty shell. May I take Aloy's old room?"

"Of course," Elisabet said, kissing her cheek. "Whenever you want to sleep here, it's yours."

The redhead turned to walk down the stairs to her bedroom.

"Elisabet?"

"Yeah?"

"I wish you a pleasant sleep."

Elisabet grinned. "You too, GAIA."

The machine woman padded up toward the guest bedroom, observing everything as she went. She sat on the bed, running her fingertips over the fabric. Every sense was so delightful, a delicacy of experiences. Her mind still reeled with the realization that she had _touched_ Elisabet, that she had held Aloy, and that she would get to do so for the rest of their lives. As she laid down on the bed, she wondered if she'd be capable of dreaming in this new body.

What would it be like to dream?

\------

Blood.

Always blood on her hands. _Aloy's blood._

Always blood in her teeth. _Her blood._

There were _so many_ bodies: piling up in the battlefield, in homes, in her own goddamned office. More of them had selected euthanasia than even the wildest Zero Dawn intake projections had accounted for, and it was _all her fault._ She'd had to be cold. Calculating. Hard. Everything _hurt_ all the time.

The machines were getting closer, she knew that much. They were always getting closer. She heard screams, and looked down to find Aloy clasped in Talanah's arms, pale and dead-eyed. Just like everyone else she'd fed to her system. Just like everyone she'd forced into her horrific project. Petra laid nearby, coated in blood. How could she fix this? That's what she did. She _fixed_ things. But not this. Never this.

A hand on her shoulder, and suddenly her mother's voice was in her ear. "You'll lose them," Miriam said, softly.

"But I fought so hard to get here," Elisabet said.

"We don't always get what we want, kiddo." Miriam stroked her hair lightly.

Elisabet turned to face her. "I miss you all the time." She studied Miriam's face, blurrier over the years, mixing in so many internalized aspects of her own and Aloy's. Memory only stayed clear for so long before it too began to fade. Still, she gazed into green-gold eyes that matched her own, at the more slender jaw and the _kindness_ she'd always found in her face.

A shape behind her mother moved, black and ominous, its skittering motion something she knew all too well. The machines were getting closer, _she knew._ They were always getting closer.

Suddenly Miriam lurched forward, the tail of a Corruptor piercing through her chest from behind, her blood splattered hot against Elisabet's body.

"No!"

\------

_"No!"_

GAIA shot straight up. Had she slept? Had she dreamt? Or had she merely shut this body down? A thousand processes tried to parse the difference as she picked up on the sound, loud and violent, full of distress. Before she even understood the motion, she was on her feet, racing toward the lower stairwell, barreling her way down to the master bedroom.

The room was dimly lit by a small lamp on the Oseram's night stand. She found Elisabet writhing in their bed, frantic and wild, unable to be calmed. She shook and panted, eyes distant and unfocused.

"Help me," Petra pleaded, her arms around Elisabet, trying to ground her. "Steel to my bones, this is a bad one."

"What can I do?" GAIA asked, panic rising. What was that feeling? Every sensor observed the obvious struggle of the woman she loved. Even from a distance, she could hear uneven breath, could see the perspiration on her skin, could taste her fear on the air. Was this what worry felt like when in a body? When it was physical and not a purely mental exercise? It was _excruciating._

"I need to get some of her Hintergold. It usually gets her back to sleep," Petra said quickly.

"I could go-"

"No, I know where it is. Just stay with her. _Please._ "

GAIA nodded as Petra motioned to get up from her position.

"It's okay, Lis," she soothed. "It's going to be okay." The Oseram quickly urged GAIA over and the two switched places, the machine woman sliding in to where Petra had been.

Suddenly, after just a day in this new form, she was curled against Elisabet's body, wrapping her arms around the redhead. The heat of her soaked into Elisabet's back and the AI could feel a shudder, though whether in relief or barely restrained agony, she couldn't quite tell. "You are safe, Elisabet," GAIA whispered. "You are _so_ safe. As is the rest of our family," she continued, drawing out a continuous monotone that she calibrated at just the right decibel to soothe. She felt Elisabet begin to sink into her, squeezing her hand while she tried to catch her breath.

She couldn't speak, only small, desperate noises escaped her.

"I love you," GAIA said low and sweet, "And I know what haunts you, Elisabet. It haunts me too. I am constantly running thousands of processes that relive the worst moments. I wish endlessly that I could gift you the ability to process it as I do. But I know you, Elisabet. In you all things are possible."

The redhead turned to bury her face in GAIA's chest, taking large, gulping breaths while the machine woman stroked softly along her arm. Finally, Petra could be heard padding back down the stairs, a vial of extra strong liquid Hintergold in hand.

"Here Lis," she said, perching herself on the edge of the bed and tilting the medicine to the redhead's lips. When she was finished, she shuddered back into GAIA's embrace, though this time the AI felt it was definitively more relief than anything else. Petra stroked her thumb along the redhead's cheek. "There you go, love."

After a few minutes she had visibly settled, taking on a comfortable heaviness that accompanied the drug's fast-acting lure toward sleep. "I'm sorry," she slurred, looking at GAIA and Petra and back again.

"Don't you dare," Petra admonished softly.

Elisabet blinked, feeling more and more tired. "I don't know why you two put up with my shit," she said with half a smirk.

"We do not put up with you," GAIA said firmly. "Petra and I love you. I know it is hard for you to believe sometimes--but do not contradict us. I do not tire, and if I have to say it forever, know that I will."

"The hottest forges are always a little unpredictable," Petra shrugged. "But they make for the greatest yield--that's why they're _worth_ the challenge."

"What did I do to deserve either of you?" Elisabet asked, beginning to fall asleep in GAIA's embrace. Before either could respond, she had her arms around GAIA's waist, the thick blanket of Hintergold having taken her.

"What she doesn't know is I ask myself that question all the time. What did I--some tinkerer who abandoned the Claim--ever do to deserve _her?_ " Petra said quietly, chuckling to herself. "Thanks for the help, GAIA. It's usually not this bad."

"Do you...think this is my fault?" GAIA asked hesitantly. "This body...this afternoon with Aloy. Perhaps I should not have-"

"This was our gift to _you_ and Aloy. All of us, really," Petra assured. "Hammer to steel, you know her, GAIA. The good things hit her harder than the bad. The bad she knows how to handle. The good--that's what really throws her. That's not your fault. In fact, she was telling me just before bed how happy she was."

GAIA nodded. "I should go and let you return to her," she said softly, looking down at the redhead in her arms.

Petra took in the scene and patted the machine woman's shoulder. "She's already asleep. Let's not wake her. I'll take the upstairs. Besides...I have a feeling you've been waiting about a thousand years for this," she said, winking.

The AI blushed hard, unaware until this very moment that she was even capable of replicating the expression.

"I'll see you two in the morning," Petra said with a small grin before making her way up the stairs, leaving GAIA and Elisabet alone in the dim light.

The machine woman reached over to turn off the lamp, not wanting to wake the redhead. When the dark had settled upon them, she felt Elisabet burrow comfortably into her, some small content sound coming from deep in her chest. GAIA kissed her, tucking back red and silver hair.

This time she had no doubt that she slept. And no doubt that she dreamed.

Elisabet. It was always Elisabet.

\------

Talanah woke early, there was an artisan to see in the market up on the mesa. It had pained her to leave Aloy in their bed alone. The closer they got to their Little Spark's arrival, the less she wanted to be away. But the Sun-Hawk knew this is what her wife would want, and the hope of seeing her smile was enough to spur her on.

She'd found the correct materials and grabbed something for the two of them to eat before heading back down into Meridian Village. She'd made good time, the sun hitting the perfect and clear tone of morning that had firmly left sunrise behind. The Sun-Hawk opened the door to find Aloy at their table, sipping tea and wearing a long, draped tunic without her usual leggings or adornments, clearly aiming more for comfort than hunting practicality.

"I'd hoped I'd get back before you woke up."

Aloy sipped again, smiling ruefully before cradling her middle. "She's up, so I'm up," she said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Guess I'd better get used to that." Talanah reached out to feel, always eager for the chance. "What had you at the market so early?" Aloy asked, eyeing her wife's bagful of items.

"Well," the dark-haired woman began, proud of her accomplishments that morning, "first--breakfast." She pulled out a couple pieces of Aloy's favorite bread, the texture dense and sweetened with sugar cane and fruit. The redhead's eyes lit up and she kissed Talanah's cheek for her efforts. "Oh, and one more thing."

Talanah pulled out two tiny jars of paint and some raw wood beads, setting them on the table next to the bread.

"Wait...what did you-"

"I know you. By the Sun, you won't be settled until you do this."

"Beads?" Aloy asked.

"Now you can make some and give them to GAIA. It's important to you and-" before she could finish, Aloy was up out of her chair and kissing her, hands in the inky black of her hair.

"Thank you," the redhead breathed, arms locked around her wife's neck before she kissed her deeply once again.

"By the Sun, if this is the thanks I get, I should surprise you more often," Talanah said, a flush in her cheeks.

"You're always thinking of me," Aloy said, pressing into her.

"I try."

"Well now I'm thinking of _you_ " the redhead replied, biting her lip. She grabbed her wife's hand and lead her back down the hallway toward their room.

"Your tea will get cold, little Thrush," Talanah teased.

"It can _wait,_ " Aloy said, obviously tempted now. "Besides, you taste better than my tea."

Talanah felt a flutter in her chest. It didn't matter how many years passed, Aloy would always make her come undone.

\------

Elisabet woke to find herself curled around GAIA. A shot of adrenaline surged through her. _What had happened? Where was Petra?_

The moment she sat up, GAIA immediately responded, not finding it difficult to boot from sleep. "Everything is all right, Elisabet," she said, as if answering the question the redhead had yet to speak.

"What happened last night?"

"You had...an episode that was difficult to recover from. Petra asked for my assistance. You required Hintergold before you could be calmed. She asked me to stay with you while she retrieved it and once you began to sleep in my arms, she insisted we not disturb you. It was very kind of her."

"Fuck," Elisabet said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. This is _not_ how I wanted you to spend your first night in a body with me."

The machine woman raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And how _did_ you want it to go?" she asked, trying to distract Elisabet from dwelling on the night before.

The redhead blushed deeply. "Better," she said, eyes cast down.

GAIA lifted her chin until the two were eye to eye. "It was _exquisite,_ " she said, kissing her gently.

"Better than a simulation?" Elisabet asked sheepishly.

"Far superior," GAIA assured.

The older woman thumbed at the white scar that ran down the machine woman's arm. "Still...I know you don't usually monitor when I've got the Focus off at night. You're not the one who typically has to see me like this. I just...I must look like such a broken mess."

"You are nothing of the sort," GAIA said, "And I admit, I am grateful for the privilege of having helped ease you through it instead of having to hear about it in the morning. It has always left me feeling helpless. I have often wished I could be there for you in the way Petra is."

"You've always been there, GAIA," Elisabet said, kissing the machine woman's cheek before pushing herself into a standing position and sniffing at the air, her mouth watering at the scent. Petra must have taken it upon herself to get cooking without her.

"Lis, come and get it!" Petra shouted down the stairs. "GAIA, you too-er-I don't know if you actually eat, but come on up!"

GAIA laughed, a soft, genuine sound. She rounded the bed and smiled. "We had better not keep her waiting."

\------

Aloy had spent the afternoon hunched over the table, a cloth covering it so as to keep it clean. She had painstakingly painted each bead and then proceeded to lacquer them as she normally did. There were a few: one to denote GAIA's status as her mother, one with the double white stripe for their Little Spark, another that included Talanah as part of the family after their marriage, and a few others here and there, mostly in the traditional reds and blues of the Nora. When she was finished, she let them dry for the rest of the night, impatiently waiting for the moment she could give them to GAIA.

"You're going to make a few of these again, soon, aren't you?" Talanah asked, examining her handiwork.

"Not for a couple years," Aloy hummed, fingertips digging into the low of her back where an ache had formed. More and more she was combating discomfort and some pain, a body full of old injuries doing her no favors.

"Really? I'd have thought she'd be wearing them as soon as she has enough hair to braid," the Sun-Hawk smirked, placing her hands on her wife's shoulders and firmly pressing into the muscle.

"For as much as everyone likes to call the Nora _savages_ they're--oh, right there--" she sighed in relief, "practical when it comes to children. No one's going to give an infant beads. Everything goes in their mouths. Rost didn't give me any until I was three." The Sun-Hawk continued to knead at the muscle and Aloy was content to let her. "What about Carja traditions?" she asked.

Talanah paused. "Well, when you're born in Meridian, typically the birth is recorded in the city registry--that makes you a citizen. And it's tradition to present the child to the Sun after three days. You take them outside in the light and usually a Sun-Priest anoints them with a little oil. There are more but many of the practices are rooted in the old ways. In the days before Avad, sons were...more valued than daughters. So I think I reserve the right to pick and choose. There's also that tapestry in her room--the one my mother made. I'd like to find an artisan to update it with her name when the time comes."

"Which Sun-Priest would you want?" Aloy asked, tilting her head back. "Namman? Or maybe we could get Avad to do it himself. There's no higher authority and we _do_ have the King's ear."

Talanah nodded, working her hands lower on Aloy's back. "Maybe Avad. She's going to be the first Nora-Carja citizen of the city. Daughter of the Saviors," she said, chuckling to herself. "Couldn't hurt to have a little extra legitimacy behind us."

The redhead closed her eyes and leaned into her wife's touch. "Good idea."

"So I've been...meaning to ask. You told me once that the Nora wait six months to tell a child's name to the All-Mother. Are we really going to wait that long to tell everyone?"

"The Sacred Land is a wild place, with far less security than here," Aloy said softly. "Six months was meant to...well, if you make it to six months, there's a good chance you make it a lot longer. But...no. I don't intend to wait that long. You're meant to speak the name to All-Mother and...well, GAIA will be there the moment she's born. Why wait?"

The explanation sparked an idea in Talanah's mind. "The plan is still to go to the royal healers when she comes, right?"

"I suppose," Aloy shuddered, "they're the best at what they do but...you know I hate going to them. Reminds me too much of the Daemon's poison and what happened at the Cauldron. I don't like to think about it." The redhead absentmindedly traced the scar on her forearm.

"What if you didn't have to?"

Aloy opened her eyes again and turned, looking at her wife in confusion.

"By the Sun, little Thrush, did I actually beat you to the idea?" Talanah laughed.

"Speak it," Aloy urged.

"GAIA is literally the most qualified person--not just in the Sundom, but in the _world._ She has all of ELEUTHIA's knowledge. Thousands of people were born under her care. And now that she's really, truly here..."

"...Do you think she would?"

"I think she'd be more offended if you _didn't_ ask," Talanah said. "Besides, isn't this how it's done in the Sacred Land? At home, surrounded by the women in your family and an expert healer? Sun's Light, GAIA's the biggest expert on...just about everything."

Aloy considered a moment. It _did_ have its appeal. She didn't relish the thought of going back to the place she'd nearly died _twice._

"Whatever you want, I'll support."

The redhead squeezed her wife's hand. "I'll see her tomorrow once these are dried."

Talanah bent low, admiring Aloy's work once again. She wondered if perhaps in another, less violent life, Aloy might have become an artisan herself.

\------

The following night, GAIA arrived just as she'd promised. The walk down to the lower village had been exhilarating. Full of sights and sounds, all of it endlessly fascinating to her. She enjoyed the feel of her own weight in her stride, the cool breeze, and the dipping temperature as night took hold. When she arrived at their door, it opened before she even had the chance to knock.

"Sorry," Aloy said quickly. "I was waiting for you."

"Child, what is wrong? You appear nervous."

The redhead quickly ushered her in, the two taking seats near each other in the main room. GAIA looked around, obviously noting Talanah's absence.

"She's in the nursery, doing a little work," Aloy said, answering the question GAIA's gaze had asked. "I wanted some time just for us." Aloy leaned forward and took GAIA's hands in her own. They were soft and lifelike, the differences nearly indiscernible save for their unnatural stillness. "I have something to apologize for."

GAIA's eyesbrows knitted together. "What could you possibly need to apologize to me for?" she asked.

Aloy looked away, shame creeping into her cheeks. "I did not honor you the way I should. The way I was taught."

"Aloy, child, you have never disrespected me in any fashion."

"But I have," Aloy began. "I gave Mother the traditional Nora beads. But I did not give them to you."

GAIA gave a kind smile. "You have never owed me anything. It is all right to differentiate between us."

"I _want_ you to share in my life equally. And I've always tried but..."

"But it was harder when I did not have a physical presence," GAIA finished.

The redhead nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Aloy, you cannot blame yourself for that. It is just a matter of fact. I bear no resentment over this." GAIA's hazel eyes roamed over Aloy, finding the quickening pulse in her neck. The machine woman felt an anticipation rising in her as she held her daughter's hands. Was this _suspense?_ It was awful and delicious simultaneously.

"I know but...I do. This _matters_ to me and...I need to give you something," the younger woman explained, reaching for a small pouch nearby, resting on a low table. She shook out five beads in traditional Nora colors and handed them one by one to the machine woman. "This one means you're my mother," she said softly, handing over the first brilliant blue bead. "And this white one with blue stripes means you're a grandmother. The red and gold shows Talanah is your daughter by marriage, and this other red one means you're bonded to Mother."

"What does the last one mean?"

Aloy handed her the blue and gold bead. "That you are a healer, regarded as wise woman of the tribe. I mean...you _are_ the All-Mother," she said sheepishly.

"Child," GAIA began, her lip quivering slightly. Her eyes looked like she was crying but no tears came. She pulled Aloy in quickly, her arms tight around the younger woman. "Thank you."

"May I braid them for you?" Aloy asked. "Can...your hair is...real, right? I'm sorry I just-"

"Yes, it is real," GAIA laughed, instinctively wiping at tears that weren't there. "Synthetic keratin base. It feels and acts just as anyone else's in this body, but will not grow beyond this initial style. Bodies like these often required maintenance of a sort. Keratin replacement. Artificial tears. It is why I cannot cry."

"I'm sorry," Aloy said, genuine sorrow in her voice.

"Do not be. This is more than I had ever hoped for. And now that I know this is something I desire, perhaps I can begin to manufacture materials for myself. For now, I am satisfied. Please, do not feel pity. I am content."

Aloy nodded and began braiding dark strands, threading beads as she went: three on one side and two on the other.

"How do I look?" GAIA asked.

"Beautiful."

The machine woman let her fingertips find the beads in her hair. "Did you paint these yourself?"

"Yes."

"Your craftsmanship is lovely."

The redhead blushed, biting at her lip. She took GAIA's hand in her own, placing it against her belly, her Little Spark kicking excitedly.

"There's something else I wanted to ask you."

\------

GAIA returned late, practically alight with the events of the night. The playful click of the beads in her hair, reminding her with every step how overwhelmed with appreciation she was for Aloy's thoughtful gesture. Crickets sang and the village was quiet on her way to the Great Elevator. She dedicated so many of her processes to admiring the sights and sounds as she rode up, though even more considered Aloy's request of her.

The machine woman could barely contain the happiness that threatened to burst from every aspect of her being and she was more glad than ever that Elisabet and Petra had given her a new form with which she could usher their Little Spark into the world. She'd tried to be humble about it, but her daughter had been correct--she was, in her way, the most experienced healer of any sort on the planet, even with the loss of APOLLO. Though in this regard, even its absence did not even begin to touch the knowledge ELEUTHIA contained on this very subject. The sub-function had guided so very many humans into life, even Aloy herself. It was a delight beyond imagining that she would have the privilege of doing so for her own granddaughter.

She practically danced along the pathways of Meridian back to the apartment, enjoying her time before she prepared to allow Elisabet to store this body for the night. After all, she didn't _require_ sleep, and the two older woman were likely to want some semblance of privacy when they could have it. She entered quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone when she came in.

Elisabet and Petra were headed toward the lower stairway as the door opened, full of whispers and small touches as they did so, pausing when GAIA walked inside. "I apologize, I did not wish to bother either of you at this late hour."

Elisabet took the sight of her in, squinting slightly. "You look happy. Wait...are those beads?" she asked, coming closer with Petra following close behind, her hand clasped around the redhead's bicep.

"Yes," GAIA said, unable to help the smile that spilled over her face.

"Steel to my bones, you're beaming," Petra said. "Want to tell us what happened tonight?"

"I will update you both in the morning. I appear to be interrupting, and I had intended to vacate this form so that you might both have some time to yourselves tonight. I do not wish to overstay my welcome."

"You're _not_ interrupting," Elisabet insisted, though GAIA could tell from their vitals through their Focuses that she most definitely _had._ Dilated pupils. Increased heart rate. Flushed skin. The data told her everything she needed to know about _exactly_ what she was disturbing.

"You are both too kind," GAIA said, attempting to excuse herself.

Petra squeezed Elisabet's hand before wrapping her arms around the redhead's shoulders. The Oseram briefly turned them both, whispering something into Elisabet's ear that the AI was polite enough not to listen to before they returned to face her.

"You're sure?" Elisabet asked quietly. Petra nodded, a mischievous look on her face.

"GAIA...you can tell us in the morning if you like, but...there's no need for you to leave if you don't want to," Petra said, eyes running the length of the machine woman before her, taking in the sight of her dark skin and freshly braided hair, the hazel of her eyes and the way her Carja-style clothes lined her form.

"Thank you, Petra. That is most generous," GAIA replied. She _had_ enjoyed sleep. Though she had to admit it had only been _truly_ delightful when Elisabet had been in her arms. "I will take the upstairs room again."

Petra chuckled to herself and turned to pad down the stairs. "I'll be waiting," she said to Elisabet, kissing her on the cheek. She shot a wink at the machine woman as she disappeared from sight.

Elisabet blushed hard. It's not like this was the first time between the three, but now it was all so very _different_ than anything that had happened before. "What if you didn't stay upstairs?" she asked, lacing her fingers with GAIA's.

"What?"

The redhead leaned in and kissed GAIA with a ferocity they hadn't yet shared in this body, its force sending a shiver through every process she had. "I know you've got enough processes running to know exactly what I'm asking," the redhead grinned. "So are you _joining_ us? No pressure."

GAIA swallowed--an action wholly unnecessary in this body but performed out of reflex just the same.

She had never wanted anything more.


	6. First Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so after literally a year of writing, we come to the end.
> 
> I can't lie, I got a little emotional at the finish line.

**APRIL**

Sleepless nights had become common and she was so, so _tired._

Everything hurt. Her hips, her back, her feet.

Aloy's thirtieth birthday had come and gone without much fanfare a few weeks prior. She could barely bring herself to move, content to let everyone come to her. Her mother and GAIA had fussed while Petra drank and enjoyed the scene and Talanah gleefully allowed the older women to fawn over her wife for the day--eager for the chance to rest as well. The redhead had allowed herself the indulgence of complaining occasionally, but in the end she found that despite her growing irritation and impatience, the discomfort was a welcome sign that it would all be worth it soon enough.

Moonlight flooded through their bedroom window and Aloy reminded herself she'd survived worse and with far less _good_ to show for it. She'd fought for this, _survived_ for it--she and Talanah both.

Still, the thought of meeting their Little Spark soon hadn't stopped her from ruefully wishing she could get some rest night after night as she struggled to close her eyes and find a position approaching tolerable. She fidgeted again, a subtle wave of pain and tightness roiling through her. GAIA had assured her it was common this far along, but every time it occurred, she couldn't help but feel her heart leap into her throat with a mixture of excitement and fear. Her wife was curled behind her, thankfully asleep. The Sun-Hawk's arm was wrapped loosely with her palm around the low of Aloy's swollen belly. It provided a welcome warmth that helped to soothe away the pain.

The redhead tried to close her eyes, her hand coming to rest on top of Talanah's.

 _"Please,"_ she thought, directing it inward. _"Just let me sleep tonight, little one."_

\------

Aloy woke, eyes shooting open and unsure why, other than the ache she felt in her lower back. The first weak rays of sunrise were just starting to pour into the room and she quietly thanked the Goddess she'd slept that many hours straight. She began to stir when she felt what must have woken her: another crush of pain that radiated through her belly and hips, much more insistent than it had ever been. She swallowed and breathed steadily, grabbing her Focus from nearby and tapping a command. She waited, stilling so much that the only movement was the soft up and down of Talanah's chest against her back. Minutes slipped by with nothing. Aloy nearly felt her eyes fluttering closed once more until she felt the beginnings of the same sensation building yet again, waiting as it crested and receded like the tide coming in and out. She opened her eyes again, checking the timer she'd set on her Focus.

Twelve minutes. The redhead quietly slipped out of bed, not wanting to wake Talanah. She had a feeling this would be the Carja's last good rest for awhile and she had no desire to disturb her before it was warranted. Aloy gathered a loose, dress-like tunic and cleaned up in the bathroom, splashing her face and taking a hard look. This was the before. And soon, there would be an after. It was strange to consider how much was going to change, and for a moment she felt like an outsider looking in. This was something a life as dangerous as hers had never warranted. Something she was never destined to have. Something that, by all rights, she had been _surprised_ was even possible with all the beatings she'd taken.

Aloy glanced at the scars that littered her body as she changed into the loose tunic dress: the claw marks that had stretched along her side, the slice of Helis' blade at her throat, the burn of HEPHAESTUS' shock from the Cauldron up her arm, and dozens and dozens of smaller, fainter evidence. She smirked ever so slightly. Whatever her appearance would be in the _after,_ at least this time, it wouldn't be the result of a violence forced upon her. This was hers. _Theirs._ And she would wear the aftermath gladly for the rest of her days.

She walked through the hallway to the kitchen, going through the motions of the morning. If she was up and potentially facing one of the longest days of her life, she needed _at least_ the small ritual of making some tea and eating first.

She'd known pain. It had been a constant companion through the years between the misadventures of her youth and the battered body she'd spent years rehabilitating. Aloy tried to focus as she set about boiling water and finding the ingredients she wanted, locating honey and her favorite tea leaves. As she waited for the kettle, she absentmindedly stroked at her middle, rounded with the promise of life. She took a breath through her nose as she felt it again, just a bit worse than the last time. This pain, at least, had nothing to do with her imminent death--just the opposite, in fact--and for that she was immensely grateful.

When the tea was ready, she took it and the food she'd prepared outside, getting a glimpse of her garden's progress, pausing every few minutes to stop and breathe or take another sip from her mug. When she was satisfied all was well, she quietly padded back in and headed to the nursery for a final glimpse, feeling the need to ensure it was just as she'd wanted. She took in the sight of crib and cushions, a scroll of Carja artwork depicting a pleased Sun, Talanah's family tapestry and the tiny Nora bow up high on the shelf and nodded. Everything was just as it should be.

Aloy slowly shut the door and walked toward their bedroom, finding Talanah in the same position she'd left her in. It was probably the most sleep the Carja had gotten recently, too, with all of the redhead's tossing and turning these last few weeks. She bent down, kissing the Sun-Hawk on her cheek and causing her to slowly open bleary eyes.

"Hey, little Thrush," Talanah groaned, beginning to stretch languidly.

"I would have let you sleep longer, but I think you should be up. It's _time,_ " Aloy said softly.

The Sun-Hawk blinked heavily, the words not quite registering. Just then, she saw the redhead wince ever so slightly, body tensing for several long seconds before relaxing again. Talanah's mind finally put the pieces together, realization dawning on her. She startled, "It's _that_ time? Sun's Light, how long have you known?"

Aloy smiled softly. "I wanted to let you sleep while you still could. I got up a little over an hour ago."

"An hour? _Aloy._ An _hour._ And you didn't wake me?" Talanah asked, panic rising in her eyes. The dark-haired woman began to scramble out of bed inelegantly, nearly falling as she suddenly put all of her weight on her bad leg without easing into it.

The redhead took her by the shoulders, steadying her wife and kissing her forehead. "Breathe, Talanah," she said with a smirk. "I need you in one piece."

"How are you so calm about all this?" the Sun-Hawk asked, still visibly nervous.

Aloy placed a hand at the nape of Talanah's neck. "I have you."

\------

The next few hours passed in a flurry of activity, the Sun-Hawk dutifully contacting GAIA, Elisabet, and Petra. The three older woman arrived armed to the teeth with supplies, including what Talanah suspected was Petra's own celebratory flask of liquor. The Carja hadn't strayed from Aloy's side while GAIA made preparations, allowing the redhead to lean into her as she paced through their home to combat the increasing discomfort.

"How're you doing, little Thrush?" Talanah asked quietly, Aloy's face buried in her shoulder as they swayed together. She ignored the ache in her thigh from pacing with her wife so long, considering the pain her small contribution to the process. It would never compare.

"I'll make it," the redhead said, catching her breath. "Still not as bad as being poisoned," she laughed.

"Anything I can do?"

"Little late to swap roles," Aloy said with a smirk.

"You know I'd have done it if you'd asked."

"I know you would."

"Still...I'm sorry this is all on you right now," the Sun-Hawk offered apologetically.

"Don't be," Aloy assured her. "I wanted this."

The pads of Talanah's fingers reached her wife's lower back, eliciting a sharp whimper while she worked the tense muscle just as Elisabet and Petra rounded the corner.

"Hey kiddo," she said, gently stroking the younger redhead's hair. "GAIA's all set up, even if we're still a ways off."

Aloy nodded thankfully before hissing again, a low groan escaping her.

"You're made of iron, Flame-Hair," Petra added. "You got this."

"She's really starting to feel it," Talanah muttered to them both, swaying again with Aloy however she needed.

"I bet," the older redhead said, continuing to stroke Aloy's hair softly. "Wish I could give you something. Hintergold's too sedative and Ochrebloom's not good for the baby. GAIA says Wild Ember is okay but you can't use too much. Better to hold off until it's _really_ needed." Elisabet's lips drew into a thin line, her eyes sympathetic. In this moment she wished so badly APOLLO had not been lost, if only so she could offer her daughter something to dull the pain.

"Not a lot of herbs in the Claim," Petra mused. "Soil's too rocky--so the Oseram are always fond of heat for pain. We'll get you taken care of," she assured, offering Aloy a hand which she took gratefully, squeezing it until the sensation abated.

"Thanks, Petra," Aloy breathed.

"Anything for you and that Little Spark," the Oseram said kindly. "Speaking of, you two decided on a name? Steel to my bones, you're about out of time."

Talanah smiled coyly. "Oh, we've had one for awhile."

\------

Aloy lost herself to the process, slipping into the hot water of the tub and mewling at the relief it brought, the heat just enough to _almost_ make her skin tingle. Talanah had joined her, unwilling to leave her wife to endure any of it alone. The Sun-Hawk sat behind her, doing the her best to ease the tightness in her wife's back.

Aloy groaned and hissed every few minutes, changing positions just as often over the course of an hour. She settled on wrapping her arms around Talanah's neck and burying her head in the other woman's chest. The Carja tried to consistently keep her hands where Aloy needed them, coming to rest on sides of her belly.

"The water helping at all?" Talanah asked.

"Mm...enough," the redhead replied in a short, clipped response.

"Still better than being poisoned?"

"Still better," Aloy said slowly, the effort to contain her discomfort evident.

"You know you don't have to hold back. It's okay."

"I'm _not_ holding back," Aloy snapped, voice suddenly on the verge of angry. "...Sorry."

"Don't be," Talanah insisted, kissing the top of her head. "Do what you need--"

Before she could even complete the sentence, Aloy growled deep in her chest, teeth gritted, a low groan ripping from her throat. It felt endless, but she had to remind herself she'd weathered worse. This was _the opposite_ of dying.

"That's it. I've got you," the Sun-Hawk soothed, one hand smoothing through damp red hair. "I've got you."

The redhead went boneless in her arms, the swell of her body pressed against the Carja while she tried to catch her breath. "Damn, that hurt," she finally admitted, her voice cracking just slightly.

"I know, little Thrush, I know. You're doing so well," Talanah said, kissing at her temple. "You burn brighter than the Sun."

Aloy gave a rough chortle despite her fatigue and pain. "Isn't that blasphemy every time you say it?"

"I don't care," the dark-haired woman whispered. "The Sun's always been second to you."

\------

GAIA felt jittery and excited while they waited in the living room, the three older women patiently allowing the other two to take their time before everyone was needed in action. The machine woman and Elisabet sat close, fingers twined together. Petra sat across from them, and had been regaling them both with tales from the Claim to take their minds off of impending events.

"You're nervous," Elisabet finally said to GAIA, shifting into her.

"So are you, Elisabet."

"No hiding from someone who can read your vitals, I suppose," the redhead muttered.

"You both worry too much. Flame-Hair's doing great," Petra said. "Fire and spit, if this were an Oseram birth we'd all be playing drinking games while we waited."

Elisabet laughed, breaking the tension a little. "I'm pretty sure you've said that about every major life event."

"Well, it's true! We're consistent."

GAIA smirked, amused by the two. The anticipation she felt in this body was exquisite and terrible all at once, like a vibration that just wouldn't settle in her mechanical insides, as if all of her had been reprogrammed to run at double speed. She idly played with one of the beads in her hair that Aloy had given her, fidgeting and attempted to quell the feeling by endlessly calculating the probabilities of when their Little Spark would arrive. She had temporarily downloaded enough of ELEUTHIA's knowledge base to know all was fine, but it didn't stop her processes from spiraling in thought.

"Hey," Elisabet said, stilling her hands. "I'm right there with you. Shit, I know...it's hard to believe we're here after all of this." It _was_ hard, and Elisabet fought with every fiber of her being to keep from imagining worst case scenarios and worrying--staving off the same fear that always threatened the happy moments in her life. She spun the ring Petra had given her around her finger anxiously, jaw tense. She was going to be--already was, really--a _grandmother._

"Here, you two need to take the edge off," Petra said laughing and grabbing for her flask from a nearby bag. "Lis, take a swallow."

"You didn't," the redhead countered in faux disbelief.

"I did," Petra chuckled. " _This_ is why I'm going to be the _favorite_ grandmother. I'm full of surprises. GAIA?"

"Alcohol will have no effect on me except to be wasted," the AI explained. "And given the role I am to play, were I human, I would choose to remain unimpaired. But I thank you for the offer--and I contest your status as _favorite,_ " she said, grinning wildly.

"Fire and spit, we're getting competitive, then," Petra joked lightly. "I like it. All right, Lis, one for you and one for me then. Consider it Oseram tradition."

The redhead grinned. "Give me that," she said, taking the flask and quickly downing a mouthful. "We all know _I'm_ going to be the favorite anyway. She's going to be the spitting image of me," Elisabet added with a playful sneer before passing the container back to Petra, who knocked it back quickly.

"What an unfair advantage given Aloy's genetic makeup," GAIA retorted, nudging Elisabet's arm.

"I'll take the advantage where I damn well can," Elisabet chuckled. "Hard to compete with _your_ tirelessness and this one's _surprises,_ " she said, gesturing toward Petra who adopted a look of exaggerated self-satisfaction. The three let the minutes slip by, falling back into easy conversation when they heard it, the voice distant but the urgency in the Carja's call extremely telling:

"GAIA, I think we need you!" Talanah shouted down the hall.

All three older women leapt to their feet instantly, GAIA automatically taking the lead.

"Elisabet, go help Aloy get dried off and into the bedroom; I will be there shortly. Petra, please retrieve a vial of Wild Ember from my bag."

Each nodded and quickly sped off in three different directions. GAIA breathed, tapping into ELEUTHIA's database and steadying herself. She'd done this through the Cradles thousands upon thousands of times. There was no reason to be anxious. Still, she wanted--needed--to get this _perfect._ Aloy and Talanah both were trusting her with this most sacred duty. She touched at the beads in her hair once again, the ones her daughter had given her.

It was time to earn them.

\------

Talanah no longer understood time, each minute dragging into eternity until she was certain an hour or two had elapsed without even noticing. Her vision had tunneled and all she could see was Aloy. All she could focus on was the beauty of this fiery creature emitting a feral sound somewhere between a scream and a victory cry while she felt the bones of her hand slowly being crushed.

The bed was stripped of all but sheets and copious towels, pillows piled near the bottom edge where Aloy laid, GAIA perched in front of her, face screwed up in an unwavering watchfulness and care. Elisabet and Petra were gathered at her left side, the older redhead's hand was gripped with equal pressure, though she didn't dare complain. Elisabet brushed away the sweat-plastered hair from Aloy's face, words of encouragement spilling in a consistent stream, low enough not to break the younger redhead's concentration.

"You're doing so well, baby girl."

Talanah stayed at her right, vaguely aware of the other voices in the room, but the only one she could hear was Aloy. She was all that mattered, all the Sun-Hawk cared about. It filled her with awe to witness the redhead slowly but surely bringing their daughter into the world, though her yelps and screams made her chest ache with sympathy, even while her hand had now gone numb from her wife's white-knuckled grip. Aloy took deep breaths, panting while she rested a moment. GAIA called Talanah to her side for just the briefest pause to look, and in that instant the Sun-Hawk knew with rising anticipation, her heart hammering in her ribs--they were nearing the end.

Talanah returned to her wife's side and kissed at Aloy's damp brow. "Not much longer now," she whispered close, knowing the redhead couldn't respond. "I'm right here."

GAIA was saying something, something important and instructive and before Talanah knew it, the redhead had gathered the last of her strength and was nearly breaking her hand while emitting a final, raw yell from deep in her chest. The sound seemed to last forever, and the Sun-Hawk could have sworn she hadn't heard anything like it since their last battle together, though this carried a decidedly a more _hopeful_ tone. After a few minutes, it was as if all air had left the room, everyone--Aloy included--still and waiting. The moment was finally shattered when she heard it: a clear, sharp wail of unmistakable origin.

GAIA took a moment to marvel at the tiny form, her smile wide and bright at the sight in front of her before she quickly made several motions to cut and clean. Before Talanah knew it, Aloy was being handed the infant, tears streaming down both of their faces as an indecipherable mix of relief and love poured out of them both. The Sun-Hawk's breath hitched with happy sobs, while she pressed her forehead to Aloy's, feeling the redhead crying just as hard.

"Thank you," Talanah whispered close to Aloy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll never stop saying it."

"Look at that Little Spark, flame-haired just like her mama," Petra chuckled, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm _so_ proud of you, kiddo," Elisabet said, placing a kiss on the side of Aloy's head.

Talanah looked down at the little one held firmly against Aloy's chest, noting the small tuft of fiery hair and big, bright, honey colored eyes, just a touch lighter than her own.

"You were amazing," the Carja said quietly before kissing her and gently stroking her thumb along the baby's cheek. "She's beautiful."

"Pretty sure you had a hand in that," Aloy grinned, though it was clear she was beyond exhausted and sore.

"What's her name?" Elisabet asked, her hand on the younger redhead's shoulder, thumb rubbing circles into her freckled skin.

Aloy glanced at her wife, receiving a nod from Talanah, and then looked up at her mother with kind eyes, green-gold meeting green-gold.

"Her name is Miriam."

In all the years Talanah had known Elisabet, she had never seen the woman cry harder than she did now.

\------

Talanah laid back on a cushion in the living room, shirt unlaced to allow her daughter to sleep against the bare skin of her upper chest while GAIA tended to Aloy in the other room. It was late, nearly midnight, and the entire house was exhausted. Still, the Carja couldn't bear to look away from the tiny little thing that laid upon her, still somewhat awed that after all this time she was _here._

"Steel to my bones, you girls did good," Petra said, admiring the infant while she sat at Elisabet's side, her arm wrapped around the older redhead's middle. "That Little Spark's the cutest kid I've ever seen--and I've seen my share over the years."

Talanah gently kissed at the tiny tuft of red hair, hands resting softly on the little one's back. "The nickname's sticking for the rest of her life, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Petra said with a soft laugh. "Fire and spit, just look at her...I'm sure she'll be just as strong as both her mamas."

Talanah smirked and chuckled low, Miriam jostling ever so slightly with the movement of her ribs. "You can tell that while she's sleeping?"

"No one ever seems to believe how wise I am, but it's true." the Oseram joked with faux indignation.

"Do you want to hold her?" the Sun-Hawk asked.

Petra nodded with enthusiasm and Talanah slowly sat up, Miriam secured in her arms. She wrapped the little one in a blanket she had nearby and gently handed her to Petra who had gone still and quiet, the infant cradled in her strong embrace.

"Hey there, Little Spark, it's Nana. Your _favorite,_ " she said playfully.

The infant remained sleeping while Petra held her, Elisabet leaning in close. The older redhead couldn't get enough of the sight of her; her hand crept around the side of the Oseram's shoulder as they both gazed adoringly at the little one.

"You're a natural," Elisabet said.

"Little late to talk me into a baby, Lis," Petra grinned. "And after all these years I'm pretty sure we can't get there on our own, but you know I'm never opposed to _trying._ "

Elisabet's face turned a deep crimson, causing Talanah to laugh quietly. "I hate you."

"You _love_ me, _wife._ "

Petra smiled at Elisabet but couldn't help but be enamored with the small sleeping form and what it meant that she belonged to all of them. The Oseram had never fancied herself the family type for all her years in the Claim, her time working on the Great Elevator in Meridian in the early days of the Red Raids, or even as the leader of the Free Heap. It hadn't been until meeting Elisabet that she'd even considered it. As Aloy had become more and more Elisabet's own, Petra had become increasingly attached to them both, and over the last decade those feelings had only strengthened. When the younger redhead and the Sun-Hawk had told them both about the impending little one, Petra had been thrilled--more than she ever could have imagined, a far cry from her wild younger days where she'd openly fled anything that dared to tie her down. Miram was _hers_ just as much as she was Elisabet's or GAIA's, and she relished in the feeling.

She smirked to herself--it was funny how much things had changed, she thought, looking down at the tiny redhead held close against her. After several minutes had passed Petra turned and kissed the side of Elisabet's head.

"Here, I know you've been dying to hold this Little Spark since the moment Aloy told us about her. Your turn."

With that, the Oseram smoothly passed the infant into Elisabet's arms, the older redhead instantly entranced with the newborn, a deep ache in her ribs that was warm and bittersweet. She wondered for just a moment if it would have felt even more overwhelming to hold Aloy like this.

"Welcome to the world, kiddo, Grandma's got you," she said, pressing a kiss to Miriam's forehead. "Look at you," she cooed. "You've got that Sobeck hair just like me and your mom...and my mom..." she said, eyes becoming watery despite her best efforts. Elisabet considered her fortune for a moment while she cradled the newborn against her chest.

She'd left GAIA Prime to die. She'd walked to her death and watched a hazy sunset while her heart slowed in her suit, never believing for even a second that she would ever see anything besides oblivion. Now here she was, granddaughter in hand, her daughter recovering safely under GAIA's supervision, one of her partners at her side, and a daughter-in-law she had loved for a decade sitting across from her. It was too much. She didn't deserve it. Not after how many had died for her system. Not after an entire world had been fed to the meat grinder. _How was life this hers?_

_She should be dead._

_She should be dead._

_She should be dead._

A hand touched her shoulder, shaking her out of her mounting anxiety, and the redhead turned to find GAIA at her side, taking a seat on her left.

"None of it will disappear, Elisabet," she said, as if reading her mind. "I know that look on your face."

Elisabet blushed and shook her head, fighting against the rapid beating in her chest. "How's Aloy?"

"Cleaned up and sleeping for now. She did so well. No complications. ELEUTHIA could not have produced a better outcome in a Cradle itself," she said, beaming. She turned her head and gazed lovingly at the baby in Elisabet's arms. "And hello to you, again, little one," she said softly.

Elisabet softly rocked Miriam, unable to look away from the infant who was slowly beginning to stir.

"How do you feel?" GAIA asked, her hand on Elisabet's back.

"In love," the redhead replied, smiling up at the machine woman.

GAIA appeared to consider for a moment, weighing the bursting sensation in her chest before speaking-- warm and enveloping while her processes swirled with simultaneous pride in her daughter and immense care for this new little life. "I am too."

Miriam slowly appeared to wake, tiny body beginning to fuss into Elisabet's shirt with increasing intensity. "Looks like someone's awake," the redhead said with a small grin, addressing the infant.

GAIA softly stroked a cherubic cheek. "I am your grandmother, GAIA," she said, giving herself a proper introduction. "Do you know how loved you are?"

The room quieted for several heartbeats, the sentiment evident in all of them, each of the women unable to contain their adoration for the latest addition to their family.

It was Elisabet who finally broke the silence when the newborn fussed again. "You hungry, Miri?" the redhead asked rhetorically, noting how the little one continued to attempt to nuzzle into her. "Looks like you've got me mistaken for your mom. It's okay, kiddo. Happens a lot," she said, winking at GAIA while Petra leaned into her side.

"Miri?" Talanah asked.

"Sorry--I just...a lot of my mom's friends called her that. We don't have to--"

"No," Talanah said tiredly, beginning to yawn, "no, I like it. It fits."

Elisabet nodded gratefully and gazed down at the little one. "I love you, kiddo," she said sincerely, beginning to stand and pass her to GAIA. "Now let's get her fed before she drools through my shirt."

\------

The house was quiet and dim after the group had said their goodbyes, Elisabet and Petra each leaving with watery eyes as they bid their farewells to the younger women, leaving Aloy and Talanah to have the night for themselves with Miriam. The two laid in their freshly made bed, Aloy barely awake enough to feed their daughter.

"Do not hesitate to call for me," GAIA insisted. "I will stay in the main room tonight and this body does not require sleep. If either of you need anything, simply tap your Focus. I love you both."

"Thank you, GAIA," Aloy said earnestly. "What you did today for us was--"

The machine woman bent low and kissed the crown of Aloy's red mane before beginning to turn and make her exit.

"Anything for you, child. Always," the AI replied, softly closing the door behind her.

The two were left alone for the first time since early morning, and the redhead was utterly spent. Talanah held her close, stroking lightly at their daughter's shock of red hair. She leaned in, watching Aloy feed their baby in the soft low light of their room, the shirt she was wearing to sleep pulled up without hesitance. The Sun-Hawk kissed at her temple.

"Aloy, you gave me the greatest gift of my life today," she whispered low, her throat catching.

The redhead gave her an exhausted but contented smile, eyes blinking heavily. "Did you ever think...that night we came back from the Sacred Land together for the first time, what you said about _this_ about _us_ \--while we were camped out--did you ever... think we'd really get here?" Aloy asked, looking down at Miriam thoughtfully.

The dark-haired woman swallowed hard. "There...were times I had my doubts. Riding back on those striders from the Cauldron...you half dead, my leg burning like the Sun's fury," Talanah began, unconsciously shifting her thigh. "Then we had that close call a few years ago with the Utaru. And there was always the chance GAIA wouldn't be able to help us and we'd have to try another way but...we fought so _hard_ for this: every battle we survived, every Carja and Nora tradition we railed against, every dissenting opinion we ignored...I can't imagine not having this. Can you?"

Aloy tilted her head against her wife. She was sore everywhere but none of it compared to the intense ache of knowing there was now a part of her that existed outside of herself.

"Even if I could, I don't want to."

"She looks just like you. Petra was right, another flame-haired girl," Talanah said quietly, still running her fingers lightly over their daughter's fiery strands.

Aloy placed a chaste kiss on her wife's cheek. "Yeah, but she has your eyes."

"Broke the streak, I suppose. Sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize for giving her part of yourself," Aloy said tiredly but with a tone of seriousness underlining her words. "Ever. You hear me? She's--she's not...what Mother and I are, that was never what I wanted. I always wanted her to be yours, you know that."

"I know that," the Carja said gratefully. "And I'll never stop thanking you for the honor."

Aloy sighed contentedly, considering. The redhead was determined to do right by their Little Spark, to do things differently and give her a childhood so unlike her own. To amend the wrongs that still rippled through her own life and to ensure Miriam would never have to endure the same cruelties.

Aloy silently swore to herself that so much would be different for her daughter. Better.

Talanah cooed something low and sweet to the little one, eliciting a soft, content sounding gurgle.

"See? I told you she's always loved the sound of your voice," Aloy said.

Her wife smiled to herself. "Yeah?" she asked, seeking assurance.

"I should know, I felt it every time she kicked at the sound," Aloy teased.

The exchange set Aloy at ease. Miriam was never going to know the fearful stares of a tribe that had cast her out. She was never going to feel the same isolation. She was never going to wonder where she came from or where she belonged. The girl would always know her family, would always have a place among them.

Miriam Sobeck would _never_ have to question if she had a mother who loved her.

She had two.

\-------

The sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon, spilling orange and yellow into the sky, an increasingly warm glow beginning to fill the Temple of the Sun. Three days had passed since Miriam's birth, and the child was due to be anointed and presented to the Carja Sun-God, one of the few traditional practices Talanah had chosen to adhere to.

"There she is!" Avad said excitedly, walking with Vanasha to join Namman and the group of women gathered there. The air was rich with the scent of incense Namman had lit while the others had begun to arrive. Elisabet, GAIA, Talanah, and Aloy were all dressed in their finest Carja attire while Petra wore her best Oseram vestments with a small Carja headscarf--a compromise considered more than fair by her Oseram standards.

"She is truly radiant, Aloy, and you are doing well, I trust?" the Sun-King said, admiring the tiny bundle slung snuggly across the redhead's chest.

"Thank you, and yes," Aloy agreed, quietly musing to herself. Being poisoned and electrocuted had both been _far_ more excruciating ordeals than giving birth, though she had to admit that perhaps it was a matter of perspective that had kept her so relatively positive regarding the experience. She'd wanted this, while her past had been _inflicted_ upon her.

"I saw her name in the registry the other day. Miriam, is it? And with your house name? Sobeck? It is lovely."

Aloy nodded. "It was my grandmother's."

"Ah, a family name. How Carja of you," Avad said, winking while Aloy huffed and gave him a look of incredulity.

Miriam stirred slightly against her mother's chest but otherwise remained sleeping and unbothered by the King's chiding. "I see she has no compunctions about dismissing royalty," Avad quipped.

"She's like her mother that way," Talanah jabbed, rolling her eyes in Aloy's direction before straightening again and taking on a more solemn tone. "Thank you, your Radiance, for doing this. It means a lot to us both that we have your blessing."

"Well for good or ill, there is no higher authority on the Sun's will than myself," Avad said, shaking his head and causing the tassels on his golden headdress to swing back and forth. "And I'll have no more dissenters like Deron thinking their hate has a leg to stand on. I...know some of the opinions the nobility and others had about your marriage and now your child but I promise you both, discrimination against the first Nora-Carja citizen of Meridian will never be tolerated. She is just as much a subject of the Sundom as any other. And besides," he said, his tone lightening and becoming more casual, "she will always be in my favor as the daughter of my friends."

Talanah smiled and clapped Avad on the shoulder, thankful for his assurances, knowing it would help ease the fear that continued to reside in their back of her Aloy's heads.

"Looks like you're not the little huntress anymore," Vanasha grinned as she addressed Aloy, appearing at her side out of nowhere, as was typical for her. "Now _she_ gets the title."

"Elisabet, GAIA, Petra, a pleasure to see you as always," Avad said, tipping his head in recognition.

"It is an honor to have you preside over the ceremony," GAIA said gratefully, her fingers linked with Elisabet's. The two wore red and gold outfits with blue accents that seemed to have been chosen to match closely to Aloy's own.

The first time they had met in this form, it had been jarring for him to reconcile that the GAIA who stood before him was the very same machine Aloy had told him about so many years ago. But now, it was easier to let his eyes deceive him to the full truth--to see the woman with hazel eyes and dark skin as simply one of Aloy's mothers, nothing more. Perhaps it was better that way.

"Thank you," Elisabet said. "It means so much to Aloy and Talanah both to have you here."

"And I suppose you're all right. For a Carja Sun-King," Petra added grinning wildly.

"Oh, well I'm glad to have your approval after all these years," Avad said, his smile widening.

"Are we all prepared?" Namman asked, addressing the group that had now all extended their greetings.

Various heads nodded and the Sun-Priest continued, gesturing for the group to form together as the morning light continued to grow brighter around them.

"Who calls upon the Priests to present this child to the Sun above?" Namman asked authoritatively, clearly reciting a long since memorized ritual.

"We do," Talanah said, squeezing her wife's hand. "Talanah Khane Padish, daughter of Talavad and Zahira."

"...And Aloy Sobeck, daughter of Elisabet and GAIA," the redhead finished. She blushed as she caught sight of her mothers beaming with pride just to her right.

"Please place her in your arms," Namman instructed.

Aloy gently lifted Miriam out of the cloth wrap and into her arms, rocking her gently.

"And which heads of these households give their blessing to the continuation of this line?" Naaman asked.

Talanah visibly stiffened in front of the others, knowing no other member of her household still lived to give their approval. She swallowed thickly before looking around at the three older women.

Namman paused and cringed before he said, "Sorry...I know neither of you need permission, you're the Saviors of Meridian after all...it's just...the traditional wording..."

"It's okay," Elisabet said, stepping forward and taking Talanah's hand while GAIA placed a hand on Aloy's back and Petra settled her palm on the Sun-Hawk's shoulder in support. "Believe me, these two have plenty of blessings from the three of us."

Elisabet could feel Talanah relax just slightly beneath her grip, the older redhead shooting her grin.

Namman nodded his thanks and cleared his throat, continuing, "Would you like to perform the prayer, your Radiance?" he asked.

Avad nodded, stepping forward at Namman's side, the sky now a brilliant peachy-yellow before them. He fidgeted slightly, hoping to remember all the words he'd tried desperately to memorize the night before. "Oh, great Sun, we entreat thee that you might shine your Light upon this new life. May she reflect your luminous qualities back to the world around her, lighting the way for others as you do for us all. May her future be bright with fortune, blessed with opportunity, and warm with family. May your Light shine on this child and keep her from Shadow, now and until the end of her days."

Avad shifted as Namman handed him a small vial of oil, which he tilted to his thumb, wetting it before drawing a small circle on the infant's forehead while Aloy held her.

Miriam began to stir at the touch, causing Aloy to bounce her lightly until the little one eased back to sleep once more.

Talanah continued to hold Elisabet's hand tightly, and the warm weight of Petra's palm on her shoulder was more comforting than she realized. She looked over to Aloy who had a look of pride in her eyes as she caught Talanah's glance, offering a small smile. GAIA's hand was still placed on Aloy's back, and the machine woman looked absolutely content, like she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"I, Avad, the fourteenth Sun-King of Meridian, ruler of the Sundom, voice to the Sun's will, declare this child Miriam Sobeck, daughter of Aloy Sobeck, Savior of Meridian, the Machine Rider, and Talanah Khane Padish, Savior of Meridian and Sun-Hawk of the Hunters Lodge recognized by the Radiance above. May she live always in the Sun's Light."

Talanah took a deep breath as the ceremony concluded, looking up to the sky.

She wondered if her mother and father would have been proud.

\------

"Shh, Miri, it's okay," Aloy assured the infant, who had begun to fuss as they walked toward home.

"Don't worry, kiddo, you'll be at Grandma's in no time," Elisabet assured, patting gently at the bundle secured tightly against her daughter's chest.

The group retired to Elisabet and Petra's apartment following the ritual, Miriam just beginning to cry before Aloy rushed in and sat down, rearranging a layer or two of her outfit to accommodate feeding her, instantly quieting the infant.

"Looks like someone gets cranky when they're hungry," Petra teased, following in behind her.

"Just like her mother," Talanah quipped.

"Hey!" Aloy protested. "You're her _mother_ too, you know."

"Sorry, kiddo, it's true," Elisabet said over her shoulder, following Petra into the kitchen.

"All right, what does everyone want? I'm cooking and there's no saying no. Fire and spit, the damn Carja are always setting their ceremonies at sunrise, so I'm starving. Little Spark over there has the right idea," Petra hollered to the group.

"They're not always at sunrise," Talanah laughed. "Sometimes they're at noon, or sunset."

"Not often enough," Petra said with a huff, grabbing items and spices from the shelves and tossing them in a pan. Within a few minutes, the main room began to smell fragrant and enticing.

GAIA took a seat next to Aloy. "Thank you for allowing me to participate today, child. I found the ceremony's sentiment quite beautiful. While I have lost many references to specific rituals during Elisabet's time, I am aware it was not terribly dissimilar to many Old World religious practices," she said.

The redhead shifted, placing Miriam on her other side before resuming feeding her. "Of course, GAIA, why wouldn't I have had you there? You're her _grandmother,_ and you helped bring her into the world. I want you there for every big moment in her life, for as long as you can stand this body" she said, looking down adoringly at her Little Spark.

The machine woman smiled widely. "While I admit this form felt...constricting at first, I admit I find it rather enjoyable now. I did not initially believe I would be comfortable using it so often, but I think I may choose to inhabit it permanently, as an extension of myself. Though of course my full computational capabilities will always be located in Prime and available through your Focus, I...find I have grown fond of physical sensation and experience. I can hardly describe the satisfaction I feel being able to hold you and Miriam, or Elisabet herself."

Aloy felt her eyes redden and water. "You really mean it?"

"Of course I do, child," GAIA replied, pulling Aloy in close and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

After several minutes, Miriam had finished, content and full while Petra and Elisabet began to serve everyone.

"No, don't get up," the older redhead insisted. "I grabbed a few bites in the kitchen, how about we trade?"

Elisabet held out a plate for Aloy, taking Miriam in her arms in exchange, holding her gently against her ribs with a slight bounce in her movements. "There we go. Field trip with Grandma."

"Where are you two going?" Talanah asked, amused.

"This little one's getting a tour of the apartment. It's her first time here. You two eat. Trust me, if my mom's stories are at all an indicator of what it's like to raise a Sobeck from birth, you'll be grateful for every meal you can actually eat while it's still hot," Elisabet explained, her voice light and playful as she walked off.

Petra chuckled, leaning against the counter with her own plate in hand. "Hammer to steel, you know if we leave those two alone, she'll have that Little Spark inventing her own machines by the time she hits her first birthday."

"I believe this is the happiest I have ever seen her," GAIA added thoughtfully. "I find it quite pleasing."

The group ate and conversed and after Elisabet returned, Miriam was passed between herself, Petra, and GAIA, each eager to get their moment with the tiny redhead.

"I don't think she's ever going to actually touch a single surface. Between you three, she'll be lucky if she learns to walk," Talanah joked.

"Yep, this Little Spark's living a life of luxury," Petra said, supporting Miriam's small, flame-haired head. "And Nana is going to spoil her to death. Only the best ironwork for you," the Oseram cooed.

"You can't make armor for a baby," Elisabet protested.

"Watch me."

"Petra Forgewoman, I never thought I'd see the day you went soft," Aloy teased.

"I've _always_ known she was soft," Elisabet quipped.

"Fire and spit, don't you dare tell anyone!"

"Secret's safe with me," the younger redhead assured, "but with the way she's already got you wrapped around her finger, I'm sure everyone else will know soon enough."

"There goes my reputation," Petra lamented, handing Miriam back to GAIA.

The machine woman took her, the instant feedback she received from every sensor now a familiar feeling, but still full of wonder and joy as she detected the warmth and quick, thrumming little pulse beneath her fingertips. Bright, golden-brown eyes looked up at her, unfocused but intensely aware.

"I love you, Miriam," she said, eliciting a small gurgle. GAIA turned her head toward Elisabet. "ELEUTHIA's expertise means I know this sound is not a response to me. And yet, I cannot help but feel that it is. I know it has been many years since I have had to inquire about appropriate emotional responses but...what does this mean?"

Elisabet chuckled. "It means you're just as big a softie as Petra."

"Don't act like you aren't, too," the Oseram fired back.

"Guilty as charged," Elisabet admitted, causing Aloy and Talanah to laugh before it turned into a yawn for the younger redhead.

"We've all been up since before sunrise," Petra said. "Why don't you two go upstairs and sleep? You need all you can get."

"You sure?" the Sun-Hawk asked, just now realizing how enticing the offer was.

"I do not require sleep," GAIA reminded them both. "Someone will always be awake to watch Miriam."

The younger women gave her their thanks before each of them kissed the tiny redhead and headed up the stairs. Petra followed their lead, heading down toward her and Elisabet's bedroom.

"You coming, Lis?"

"I think I'm too greedy," Elisabet said. "I want more time with this little one."

Petra grinned and shook her head before padding down the stairs, leaving GAIA and Elisabet alone. The redhead kissed GAIA's cheek, sending a shock through every process.

"When you sent the order to ELEUTHIA...did you ever think we'd wind up here?" Elisabet asked quietly, watching with rapt attention as GAIA held the smallest Sobeck in her arms.

"I must say, this outcome was _not_ in any of my calculations. But I am immensely happy that it came to pass," the machine woman responded.

The two stayed, closely entwined while watching Miriam until she finally fell asleep. Elisabet felt her own eyelids beginning to droop, her early wake up call having finally caught up with her.

"I believe the two of you are in sync," GAIA said, handing the baby to Elisabet before arranging several cushions on the floor, just enough to be comfortable without being too plush.

Elisabet looked at her with a hint of worry. "I've never...I don't want to risk sleeping the wrong way, or what if I have a nightmare? I--"

"She will be perfectly safe with you, Elisabet. I will monitor you both."

The older redhead raised her eyebrow. "Slightest wrong move and you take her from me, okay?"

"Of course, Elisabet. I will be right here."

The redhead shuffled down into a comfortable position. "Come on, nap time with Grandma, kiddo."

She held Miriam close to her chest, letting the little one sleep on top of her, moved only by the up and down of her ribs while GAIA sat down nearby, smiling softly to herself. Elisabet caught the glance as she began to fall asleep, muttering a tired. "What's that for?"

"Just listening to you both."

Elisabet drifted off, content.

A little over an hour had passed when Petra finally made her way back upstairs into the main room to see Elisabet asleep, Miriam cuddled against her chest. GAIA pressed a finger to her lips indicating the Oseram's quiet was required.

Petra stepped over gingerly and took a seat next to the machine woman, gazing down at the two sleeping redheads, the corners of her lips turning up. Elisabet looked more peaceful than she usually did, and certainly more than she had in the last several months while her anxiety had gnawed at her during Aloy's pregnancy. She always worried about the good slipping away, or that she didn't deserve it. Now, it seemed, those fears had been put to rest--at least for the time being. And however long it lasted, Petra would be grateful.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" GAIA asked quietly.

"No," Petra said. "I don't believe I have."

\------

A few weeks later and Talanah and Aloy had fallen into a familiar pattern with Miriam: waking, eating, and sleeping where they could with the Sun-Hawk taking light duties at the Lodge while the redhead made the decision to return to her work at the academy in a few months, instead practicing her programming in private. Their nights were similar to their days, trading duties between the two, though it was most often Aloy getting up in the middle of the night by necessity to feed their daughter.

Aloy hadn't exactly found the prospect of waking so often at night enjoyable, though she did find comfort in having moments just between herself and Miriam. Countless nights were spent gently holding the little one against her bare skin in dim lighting while she fed until falling back to sleep for a few more hours. The quiet between them in the deepest hours between the sunset and sunrise reminded her of her time with Rost.

Silence had often been apart of their relationship. He was a man of few words, but he seemed to enjoy being around her whether they spoke or not. Aloy found herself recalling many nights spent in his presence, not a word said between them while she carved ridgewood and he cooked or sewed patches onto her clothes.

Tonight was one of the nights she thought of him intensely.

She gently switched Miriam into her other arm, pulling down her shirt before sitting up and carrying her daughter over to her crib. Aloy paused, glancing at the tapestry that Talanah had had updated. Her fingers traced over the glyph for Miriam's name. It didn't look the same as the language her Focus used--the one her mother still wrote and read in--but she knew it meant the same. The redhead placed Miriam down softly in her crib but instead of returning immediately to her wife, she felt unable to look away. She scanned the room to see the tiny bow still placed high upon the shelf and swallowed hard, remembering again the first bow Rost had ever given her.

Aloy wondered if he had felt the way she did now.

Had he often stayed up late with her as a baby? Had he worried over every breath, listening for the first sign of trouble? Had he felt this same sensation that there was part of him that now existed outside himself? Had he felt the same strange mix of pride and love and worry?

Strangely, despite her exhaustion, Aloy found herself unable to sleep.

Instead, she returned to the cushioned seat, elbows on her knees, staring intently at the tiny body of her daughter through the slats in her crib, watching the rise and fall of her chest. She'd never felt more protective of anything in her life, never felt more a more animal-like need to keep something safe. She would have died for Talanah, that was never a question. But for Miriam? She would have torn her own heart from her ribs and presented it on a platter if it meant keeping her from harm.

Aloy ran a hand through her hair, fingers catching on her beads. She couldn't wait to give Miriam some of her own in a few years. There were so many things she wanted to share with her, so many experiences she wanted to give her that she'd never had, and it only made her swell with satisfaction to know that her daughter would be so loved and cared for by the entire family. Her Little Spark would be accepted by the world in a way she never had been. Miriam would learn from the best--crafting from Petra, programming and mathematics and various colorful swears from her mother, and all about the natural world from GAIA. She would be trained to hunt by Talanah and herself, a huntress through and through.

"Hey," came the sleep laden voice from the door, startling Aloy out of her thoughts. "Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you--"

"It's okay--"

"It's just...you didn't come back to bed, and I got worried," Talanah finished, padding to the crib and leaning over the edge to take in the sight of Miriam sleeping before she joined Aloy, taking a seat at her side. "You all right?"

The redhead nodded. "Just couldn't sleep."

"Can't take your eyes off her? I know the feeling."

"I was thinking about Rost."

"Yeah? By the Sun, I've been thinking about my parents since the ceremony. I wish they could know her."

Aloy wrapped an arm around Talanah's shoulder, pulling them close. She kissed the side of the Carja's head, carding her fingers through dark, inky hair. It was enough to know her wife understood the feeling so well.

"It's almost terrifying," Talanah said, whispering.

"What is?"

"I don't think I've ever loved anyone so much. It's...consuming," Talanah said, "like fire."

"Now you know how I've felt from the start," Aloy said quietly.

"I know. I know it was different for me but...from the moment GAIA told us..."

Aloy squeezed her hand. There weren't words for what this was.

"Come on, little Thrush," the Carja said, urging her up and toward their room. "She's okay."

"I know I just...there's so much out there. So much I want to show her...and protect her from."

"And tonight, she's safe and asleep in our home. Best place she could be," Talanah soothed, offering her hand.

Aloy took it and stood. As they walked toward the door, they both paused by the crib, looking down.

"I love you, Miri," the redhead said softly, bending low and kissing her daughter lightly.

The two shuffled back to their room, Talanah pulling Aloy close so that she could rest over her heart, the redhead listening as she often did. The sound lulled her toward sleep, heavy and consistent. She breathed a gentle sigh into her wife and Talanah wrapped her arms tightly around Aloy's shoulders and waist. Her body was different than it had been before. They were _both_ different than they were before--scarred and stretched but resilient and strong. The dark-haired woman considered it a badge of honor as she carded her fingers through Aloy's hair. So much would change and this was just the start.

"What are you thinking about?" Aloy asked, sleep beginning to make her voice thick.

Talanah stroked at her hair, kissing her as she let the warm weight of her wife sink into her. There was so much running through her head. What exactly _was_ she thinking about? The Sun-Hawk considered for a moment only to realize that just like all those years ago at the campfire outside the Sacred Land, there was only one thing on her mind:

"A future with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking for more? 
> 
> NorthernGhost has been kind enough to let me dabble in their playground. Check out my [one-shots](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644678/chapters/56750707) loosely based on their current work, [The Rust.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506558/chapters/56369593)
> 
> Also, stay subscribed and I'll probably be adding a few more one-shots to the _Sobeck Women_ series, just giving everyone some small, intimate scenes during the decade we missed, and post epilogue raising Miriam.
> 
> And who knows...if I get inspired enough, eventually, I have a concept for a sequel ;)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Before Dawn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905801) by [NorthernGhost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernGhost/pseuds/NorthernGhost)




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